Far Away
by KittiKat626
Summary: IchiRuki —AU— Young Rukia met Ichigo in the streets of Rukongai. He was rude and annoying, and she was determined to change him. But falling in love with him was never part of the deal. —ON HOLD!—
1. Prologue—Beginning

**Title: **Far Away  
**Rating: **T (For language and sexual references)  
**Genres: **Adventure/Drama/Angst/Romance  
**Pairings: **Ichigo/Rukia  
**Summary: -**_AU-_ Young Kuchiki Rukia met Ichigo in the streets of Rukongai. He was rude and annoying. She was determined to change him, but falling in love with him was _never_ part of the deal.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song **Far Away** by **Nickelback**.

* * *

_This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?_

* * *

**Far Away — Prologue**

_**December 25th, 1999 — Soul Society, Rukongai**_

"I like girls who have bigger boobs..."

The orange haired boy, who couldn't have been older than thirteen, trailed off as he stared intently at the chest of the young, blushing girl. Her violet eyes shone with anger as she, in one swift motion, hit the boy over the head, knocked his feet out from under him, and sat on top of him.

"I _have_ boobs! You just can't see them through this dress!"

"Well, then why don't you take it off for me?" the boy whispered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. His amber eyes shone with amusement as the girl, not liking this idea, slammed her knee into his back, effectively knocking all of the air out of him. Said amusement left his surprised eyes as he gagged and coughed.

"Get _off of me_, you ugly _shrimp_!"

"Ooooh!" she sputtered, her eyes aflame with anger as she stood up and began to stomp around. "I have _never_ met _anyone_ so ruuude! You're ... you're..."

The boy cocked his head to the side as he watched the short, raven haired girl stomp in a circle around him as she muttered words that even _he_ was proud of. He was surprised that she even knew such words, and she even seemed to know a few that he wasn't acquainted with.

"Wow, you have an impressive vocabulary," he praised, grinning widely.

She stopped stomping and yelled, "I hate you!"

"Well then, I hate you, too!"

They glared at each other for a second, and the young girl blinked in surprise as the boy suddenly stuck his hand out in front of her.

"Ichigo."

"Huh? You have food?" she asked excitedly. "Strawberries?"

"No, that's my _name_," he huffed, frowning and looking away.

"Oh... whatever then. I'm Rukia," she said, staring at his hand in deep concentration and wondering exactly where it'd been in the last few days. When, after a few more seconds, she refused to shake it, he drew it back and ran his fingers through his hair.

"So... "

"Do you... know anywhere that I could stay for the night?" Rukia asked, cutting in. She bit her lip and reached up to hold her hair in place as the wind blew softly around her small form. Her white, sleeveless dress flowed around her thin body, and it was the first time that Ichigo realized how weak she really looked. Her skin was deathly pale and her ribs showed when she took each small, gentle breath in.

"How long have you been alone?" he asked, frowning as he shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. She blinked in surprise at the soft material.

"Ever since I was small. I learned to live alone, without any help from anyone. I don't need this," she said, taking the coat off and handing it back to him with thin, pale fingers. As he took it in his hand, he gripped her wrist and was only slightly surprised to find that his fingers wrapped around easily, with plenty of room to spare.

"Yes, you do need it," he said, pushing it back in her face, his grip on her arm not loosening.

"No, I don't!" she yelled, trying to move from his grasp. "I've been fine for eleven years, and that's not going to change now!"

"You're gonna die if you don't accept help from _someone_!"

Rukia found herself unable to utter another word as she stared into the deep, amber eyes of the boy in front of her. His cocky, annoying attitude seemed to have changed in only seconds as he held the coat out to her again.

"You're weak, pale and I know you feel hunger, unlike most people. You're hungry, I can tell, and it's the middle of December. You're wearing a sleeveless _dress_ for God's sake! Just put the damn coat on!" he roared, his gaze making her shiver. She reached out a shaking hand and took the coat, holding it against her chest as she stared at the ground.

"All right... but I'm _not_ weak."

"Yes, you are, Miss Shrimp. You're weak and thin and... and _pale_."

"And yet I was able to beat you to the ground," she said, smirking as she began to walk off. Ichigo, not willing to leave their conversation on such an embarrassing note, ran and fell into step beside her.

"That was only because I _let_ you," he argued, his chest puffed out as he tried to hold onto some of his pride. His attitude seemed to change so quickly—first from annoying to mad, and now back to annoying—that she wondered if he had multiple personalities. "I could beat ya any day!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Sure! Here, if you win, you can sleep in my bed tonight and I'll take the floor. You asked for a place to stay, right? My place isn't very impressive, but nothing in this town is, ya know? It being the seventy-eighth district and all. But it's fairly warm, I have a blanket and it's soft... kinda. How 'bout it? If I win, though, you have to prove to me that you _do_ have a chest."

She glared at him, but after a second or two of thought, she nodded.

"Whatever._ I_ have nothing to worry about. I could beat a strawberry boy any day!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Strawberry boy, strawberry boy, _strawberries_!" she chirped in a sing-song voice, her violet eyes twinkling as she skipped along. Ichigo rolled his own eyes and whined loudly.

"Ruuuukia!"

It was amazing how quickly you could make a friend, but when someone smiled at you and was kind, you tried to hold onto them, because most people hated you. But as he whined, she just grinned wider as he slumped in defeat. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his worn, ripped jeans and his bare feet shuffled on the ground with each step he took.

"Aren't your feet cold?" she asked, blinking at his mud covered toes as she noticed his lack of shoes for the first time. Her eyes ventured to her own shoes, which were a light brown and worn and ripped, but they were better than nothing.

"Yeah, duh. But I gave my shoes to some new, little kid. He's been here only about a week, and doesn't know what the hell he's doin', so I thought I'd help him out a bit."

"How do you have any clothes on, at all? You keep giving them away," she said, motioning to the coat she was wearing. Ichigo shrugged as he turned around a corner randomly. Rukia, who'd already walked a few steps ahead in the wrong direction, hurried to catch up to him.

"I get new stuff. I stole that coat from some old geezer who was sellin' them this morning. It's practically new!"

Rukia nodded slowly. "Oooh. I see. Well, if you can steal clothing, can you steal food, too? I'll help, but..."

Ichigo shook his head.

"Nah. I got enough back at home. Hurry and follow me, and I'll give ya some. It's dry and doesn't taste too good, but it's something. Oh, and about our challenge..."

Rukia smirked and swung out with her foot, catching Ichigo off guard. He fell to the ground with an "Oomph" and Rukia once again sat on top of him.

"No fair! You cheated!"

"_You_ didn't set up rules! So, I'm not technically cheating, stupid."

"I didn't have _time_, you midget! You freaking kicked my feet out from under me and _sat_ on me! Off!"

"What if I don't wanna?"

"I won't give you food."

She was up in less than three seconds, and even offered a sweet smile and her hand to help him up. Ignoring said hand, he stood to his feet and glared before walking off. She followed, her hands clasped behind her as he shuffled madly through the dirt.

"That didn't count for the record. You have to _actually_ beat me before I'll let you sleep on my bed."

"Depending on how it smells, I might not want it," she said, sticking her tongue out as they walked on. He paid her no more attention until he reached a small, brown shed surrounded by trees and tall, brown grass. He pushed open a small trapdoor on the side of the building and crawled inside. Rukia followed, careful not to snag her dress on the nails and pieces of wood that were sticking out. Once inside, she looked around the barely-lit room and smiled. It was cozy, and a little warm, too. But...

"It's a mess."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes as he slammed the trapdoor shut. "Now shut up and sit."

He motioned to the floor and she plopped down gracefully as he walked over to the other side of the shed.

"So... we're all alone?" she asked, curling her legs under her white dress in attempt to warm them. She could hear the wind outside, and even though it couldn't get in, it was like she could almost feel it.

"Yup," he answered shortly, not turning around.

"No one else here at all?"

"There used to be..."

"Sorry," Rukia said, looking down at her hands as he shuffled through a ripped, brown box. He frowned at a few pieces of fruit and soggy bread before putting them back in and shuffling around more. Rukia cocked her head to the side in confusion as he did this. Finally, he gripped something in his hands and began walking over to her.

"So... how do I know you're not gonna try and rape me in the night or something...?"

Amber eyes wide in surprised, Ichigo tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground, the apple in his hands falling to the floor and rolling over to her. She picked it up and bit into it happily as she stared into Ichigo's blushing face.

"You've never had sex before, have you?"

"So what?" he sputtered, picking up the bread and walking the rest of the way over. He made sure to sit a few feet away.

"So nothing, I guess."

"Betcha you haven't, either!" he challenged, biting hastily into one half of the bread before he pushed the other half toward the painfully straightforward girl sitting beside him.

"Nope. But I'm only eleven."

"Well, _I'm_ only twelve!"

"...oh."

"..."

"Just shut up and eat..." he grumbled, shoving half of the remaining bread in his mouth. It was difficult to chew so much, but at least that way he didn't have to talk with insane midgets who enjoyed both hurting him and making him cringe.

"So... wanna try it?"

"Try _what_?" he asked, his eyes suspicious as he inched away a little more.

"Sex."

" '_The hell_?" he yelled, beginning to choke on his food as he shook his head hastily.

Rukia snickered, then giggled, then fell to the floor laughing. "Oh, God, that was rich! I was joking, you _idiot_! But your reaction was worth it! Oh, you should have seen youself..."

She couldn't manage to say anymore because she was laughing far too hard. Ichigo, who'd managed to dislodge the soggy bread from his throat, glared at her before stomping to his feet and dropping down right in front of her. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to glare at her until she sat up and stopped laughing, all the while wiping tears of laughter from her twinkling, violet eyes.

"That wasn't funny," Ichigo said, pouting,

"Oh, yeah, it sure as hell was," Rukia said, letting loose a little giggle as she fought back a smile.

"... go die."

She shook her head, then stuffed the remainder of the bread in her mouth.

"So, since I won, I'm taking the bed tonight," she said happily, her eyes smiling as she looked at the thick, but torn, quilt on the single, brown mattress.

"Hey, but you cheat—"

Ichigo cut himself off when he caught sight of her smile, however. She'd probably never slept in a bed in her life, so he might as well let her. Sighing, he started to stand when she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for your help today!"

Leaving a blushing, surprised Ichigo on the floor, she bounced over to the bed and climbed into it, diving under the thick quilt as the wind rattled the windows. She sighed happily and pushed her head under the pillow to warm her nose as she listened to the trees hitting against the roof and the quiet soft, almost silent fall of snow that had started only minutes before.

Ichigo, finally shaking his head and standing up, rubbed the spot on his cheek where she had kissed. After changing sleeping positions on the floor several times—since he couldn't get comfortable _and_ the roof kept dripping on him as the snow melted through—he stood, annoyed, to his feet, and stomped over to the bed.

"Move over."

"Huh?"

Rukia looked up at him sleepily as he pulled the blanket back and poked her stomach. When he'd first found his mattress of a bed, he'd placed it under the only spot in the shed that didn't drip, and he didn't plan on waking up soaking wet, thank you very much.

"I _said_ move over. I'm cold, tired, and I don't want to be dripped on," he grumbled, sitting down and nudging her small body with his feet.

"Mmm... g'night," she slurred, turning over to sleep again when he'd gotten comfortable. He curled his bare feet in the bottom of the blanket to keep his toes warm and closed his eyes.

But it seemed that, as soon as he'd closed his eyes, he was waking up again. The sun was shining in through the windows, the snow had stopped, and he was sleeping very comfortably. He didn't know _why _he was so comfortable on his hard mattress until he turned over and found that his head had somehow landed on Rukia's stomach the night before.

But after turning over, his face was now buried in her chest.

And, having turned over, he'd woken her up.

She blinked down at him in surprise as he grinned widely.

"Oh, wow! You _do_ have boobs! Uwaaa!"

As Rukia jumped out of bed and began chasing him around with one of the pans he used to catch drips, he began to scream and desperately try to find the trapdoor that would lead to his freedom. Finally letting the latch loose, he squirmed outside, Rukia right behind him. But what neither of them expected to be right outside the door was a fallen tree limb, so as soon as Ichigo stepped out, he fell face forward into the snow, which was piled about a foot high.

Rukia, of course, followed him only seconds later, and as they began to fling the wet, soft snow at each other, Ichigo laughed. The look in his twelve-year-old eyes was happiness, and it was a feeling that he hadn't felt for a long time.

"Gotcha!"

Ichigo pinned both of Rukia's arms above her head and grinned happily down at her as snow dripped off of his hair and to the ground below.

"Lemme go, Strawberry!"

"Nope. You're mine now," he said, laughing as she struggled to free herself. He thought she looked rather funny, actually, with her cheeks and nose bright pink while she pouted.

"Ichigo..."

"Hmm?"

He quickly found that he liked it when she bit her lip and blushed. Her violet eyes were shining happily and her chest rose and fell quickly with each breath she took.

"..."

As she opened her mouth to say something, he leaned down before he could stop himself and pressed his lips to hers. As quickly as they were there, they were gone and he had developed a blush as well.

"You just looked too cute, and..."

She hit him over the head as she squirmed her way out from under him.

"That was my first kiss, you _idiot_! And... and... and!"

"Oh, just shut up."

They both sat there, blushing slightly, until Rukia decided to break the tenstin by hurling a huge, wet, sticky snowball at the orange-hared boy. When it conected with the side of his head and knocked him off balance, he jumped to his feet, his grin back in place as Rukia stumbled to her feet and ran off, screeching loudly.

"I hope you know _this_ means war."

_**—TBC—**_

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_Hmm..._ so, whatcha think? I like it lots, but I don't know if I want it to be a one-shot or a multi-chapter story. I might stop it or I might continue. But I probably will, so for now, I'll list this as in-progress.

**_P.S._** This is just the prologue. I will skip forward in time to when they're a little older starting in chapter one.  
**_P.S.2. _**Updates will _not_ be quick. I started college this year, and everything's a mess On the bright side, my little bro/sis is gonna be born in a month! I'm taking a trip home to stay with me mom for a week or so to help when he/she is born.

**_Please Review!_**


	2. Forever In A Day

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song **Far Away** by **Nickelback**.

**

* * *

**

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Two**

**_December 25th, 2002 — Soul Society, Rukongai_**

"_Ruuuukia_!"

It'd been exactly three years since she'd come into his life, kicked his feet out from under him, and _sat_ on him. But, as he chased after her in the cold, wet snow to try and take back his stolen shoes, he knew he wouldn't trade a day of their time together for the world and everything in it. She was his best friend. But, there _were_ times that he wished she'd be a little less _annoying_, probably like right now...

"Rukia, give me my damn shoes back, _now_!" fifteen-year-old Ichigo yelled loudly.

"And what if I don't want to?" she asked, grinning and pulling the dark blue shoes on over her messy socks as she ran through the thin blanket of snow on the forest floor. Normally, Ichigo's glare would have made her stop and think about whether she wanted to bring his wrath down upon her later that day, but the warmth his shoes brought her freezing feet way outweighed anything he could do to her while still following his "Girls-are-so-damn-annoying-but-I-still-won't-clobber-them" rule.

"Rukia, I'm _warning_ you!"

Over another log, under a tree branch and to the side of a huge rock, she continued running.

"Warning me of what?" she taunted him, knowing she needed to shut up but not being able to.

"I'm gonna _kill_ you!"

Rukia just laughed and began to run faster once she reached solid ground. Her feet pounded fast on the cold dirt as she bolted through the Saturday market. Some people screamed at her and others just laughed; she and Ichigo ran through the market a lot, knocking stuff down, screaming loudly and, in general, messing things up. But she liked to steal stuff from him and he liked getting it back, and_ that_ usually ended in a chase.

But, because the ground was smooth and without rocks, logs and streams, it meant Ichigo could run faster, as well.

"Yikes..." Rukia whispered, her smile dropping as he gained on her, his own smile growing with every step.

Then, she was falling. He'd grabbed her around the waist, making them both trip into the snow and dirt, their once-dry clothes being soiled with the frozen rain. He tried to hold her in place, but she kept rolling away from his grasp as she tried to stand to her feet again.

"Stay still, will ya!" Ichigo yelled, frowning as he gripped her arm and tried to hold her still again. She finally caved and gasped in deep breaths as he grinned above her. Anyone who was looking, which was like half of the Saturday market, would have expected that the two were boyfriend and girlfriend as he finally stood up and stuck his hand out.

"And if ya even _think_ of trying to run, you're sleeping in the dumpster tonight."

She glared at him for a second then took the offered hand. He pulled her up, stuck his hands in his pockets, and began walking off. Rukia just blinked a few times.

"Huh?"

" 'Huh?' what, stupid?" he asked, staring back, the glare gone but a frown still glued to his lips as his bare, bright pink feet shuffled through the snow.

"I... thought you were gonna take your shoes back..."

"Well, I _was_ when we were so close to the house, but now we're walking on solid ice and snow. Your feet will get cold. We'll get you some new shoes on the way home, since you totaled your other ones, and then if you ever steal mine again, I can kill ya without feeling bad."

Rukia stuck her tongue out at him, but smiled as she wiggled her toes around in Ichigo's large, warm shoes. As he grumbled about his own frozen toes, Rukia's smile grew.

But what, she decided later, was way more surprising than Ichigo being kind—in _any _way or form—was when he actually _paid_ for the shoes that he got for her. Although Rukia was sure she could blame that particular action on the cute girl that was managing the store. She had dark brown hair, a cute smile and a large chest.

Rukia immediately didn't like her. Ichigo, however, did, and had begun to strike up a conversation about _flowers,_ of all things, as he took the bag containing Rukia's brand new shoes.

"Ilove roses, too!" the girl said loudly, grinning. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Abe Misa."

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo," the orange-hared boy said happily. "Hey, do you want to go with me to—"

Rukia ground her teeth together. She had to do something. _Right_ _now. _So, taking in a deep breath, she yelled loudly, "_Oh_, Ichi-chan! I've finally found you!"

Amber eyes wide, Ichigo spun around to see Rukia grinning brightly, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she latched onto his arm and smiled sweetly at the girl who sat behind the counter. She turned back to Ichigo, her grin not wavering as she began to speak in a sickeningly sweet voice that made him want to gag.

"_Ichi-chan_, we need to get home, or we'll have to pay the _baby_sitter overtime!"

"Bu-but, I...I! Bu...gah...uuhhhh..." Ichigo sputtered, none of his words making sense as Rukia hauled him from the store. The girl smiled, waving slightly as the piece of tattered cloth that served as a door fluttered behind them. Ichigo, who's brain was still slugging along, followed Rukia numbly from the door.

What the...

Rukia pulled him along, stomping through the snow in his large, warm shoes as she frowned. Ichigo didn't comment as he followed behind her. What the hell had she just done? The first cute girl he'd seen in over a year, and she'd calmly acted like she was his girlfriend—or _something_—and mentioned a babysitter, which gave people the idea that _babies_ were involved!

"Rukia—"

"Don't speak until we get home."

Well, all right.

He wasn't usually one to play follow the leader unless _he_ was the leader, but he knew that something must have upset Rukia. _Badly_. So, he followed. Without whining about his cold feet, without talking, and without trying to take charge. But when they finally reached the small shed they'd been living in for three years, he spoke.

"So, what crawled up your butt and died?"

Probably not the best choice of words, but—

"I'm your friend, right?"

"Uh huuuuh," he said, drawing out the word as he nodded. Where was this going, anyway?

"Will I always be your best friend, no matter what? No matter what I do or say?"

"Well, depending on exactly what it is that you—"

She hit him over the head, which he'd been expecting, but not as hard as she usually did. So, instead of continuing his last sentence, he started a new one as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stuck his frozen feet under a blanket in attempt to keep them warm.

"Yeah, sure. We're friends forever, right? Like we promised last Christmas?"

Rukia smiled and nodded. She didn't say anything else after that, and quickly removed her—rather, his—shoes. She handed them to him, and in return, he gave her the ones he'd just purchased. She glared at them for a second, then, reasoning with herself that even though they'd belonged to that girl at one point, Ichigo had bought them for _her_.

"Oh, and what the _hell_ was with you back there? I was talking with Misa-san."

Rukia tensed up, then relaxed, deciding to say it right out.

"I don't like her."

"Since when did you start caring about who I talk to? So what if you don't like her. I think I might. I'm gonna go back and explain that what you said earlier was a complete lie... oh, and _Ichi-chan_? If you _ever_ call me that again, I'll kill you!"

"You realize that you've said "you'll kill me" three times today, right?"

"Well, there are several reasons why I would," he said, sighing as he broke apart a piece of bread before handing half of it to his short friend. "First, if you ever steal my shoes again I'll kill you."

"But my feet were cold, and—"

"Second, if you ever put a spider in my bed again, I'll kill you."

"_That_ was a week ago!"

"If you ever try and steal food without backup again, I'll kill you."

"You weren't around to help, baka."

"And if you ever, _ever_ call me Ichi-chan again, I'll _really_ kill you!"

"Is there anything I _can_ do!?"

Rukia and Ichigo glared at each other in the semi-darkness. It was nearing nighttime, and the sun was going down. Since the shed didn't have many windows, barely any light managed to seep in, and as they continued to glare at each other, the darkness continued to grow.

"Well?"

"Yeah. You can give me the bed tonight since you stole my shoes today and made my toes go green!" he suggested happily, grinning as he stood up, wiped the remaining crumbs off of his jeans, and bolted toward the single mattress on which several quilts were thrown haphazardly. Rukia, eyes wide and her bread forgotten, chased after him.

In the winter, they argued over who got the bed and who didn't. In the summer, they argued over who got the spot by the hole in the floor through which air came and who didn't. In the spring and autumn, they just plain argued.

And tonight wasn't any different. Whereas in the summer, one usually ended up on the bed and one on the floor, in the winter, they usually _both _ended up in the bed.

"Ichigo, move over!"

"Why should I, midget? If _you're_ going to steal most of the blankets, _I'm_ going to steal most of the bed!" he shot back, kicking her feet as he wiggled over more. She was on the verge of falling off, he was sure, and that made him happy.

"Waah! Ichigo, I'm gonna fall!"

"Good!"

"Wah! The floor's cold! Lemme back up, Ichigo! Right now, or I swear you'll have _nothing_ to impress Misa-_chan_ with tomorrow!"

Ichigo, eyes wide, considered which he would hate more; losing his manhood (And he was completely sure that Rukia was _not_ kidding) or losing his pride. Finally, his manhood won and, not without a sigh and a grumble or two, he let Rukia back up.

"How do you think she'll respond when I tell her that you sleep with another girl every night?" Rukia asked, violet eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Sheesh, Rukia! That sounds totally wrong..." Ichigo sputtered, moving over to the edge of the bed as Rukia pushed her nose under the warm quilts. She grinned, turning to look at her best friend.

"Are you really going to go see her again?"

"Uh huh..." Ichigo said slowly, his amber eyes staring into hers in the darkness. "What is it to you? Aren't there other people for you to follow around and bother all day?"

"Um... nope."

"Geez, you mean, you're fourteen and I'm your only friend? Sad..."

"Well, isn't that enough? You're my best friend, so do I need other friends? Besides, when did _you_ get other friends? The turtle likes you, I think, and the snail might, too..."

Ichigo frowned and kicked her under the quilt.

"I have friends. Take... Chad for example."

"He left this district two years ago," Rukia pointed out. Ichigo rolled his eyes and frowned, his brain working overtime to dig up a few names from his past—or current—list of contacts. Sadly, Rukia was the only person who had stuck with him through so many years except for... no, he didn't need to ruin the moment by mentioning _that name_.

"Fine. You win. I don't have any other friends. But, hey! At least I'm trying."

"Oh, if I know you, and I think I do, _Ichi-chan_, you're looking for more than friendship with Misa-Misa."

"Misa-Misa?" Ichigo questioned, raising an eyebrow as he finally scooted closer to the middle of the bed; it was warmer there because that was where Rukia was laying.

"Shut up and sleep, Ichi-chan."

"And stop calling me that!"

Rukia quietly giggled under the blanket as Ichigo pouted. But, finally, he joined her and they moved closer to each other; it was the only thing they knew to do to keep warm. And besides, for some reason, he liked being close to her. It made him feel at peace, but tonight it made his heart beat a little faster as she laid her head on his chest.

But... he'd ever tell _her _that, of course.

* * *

_Aww.._. Ichigo is so clueless, huh? Hmm... I know that they probably seem a little OOC with the last scene, but believe me, if you're cold enough, you'll get close to _anyone_. Hehe... to read more about getting close to each other in ..._cold_ situations, read **Body Heat** by **AlaenaNight**! It's awesome!__

A Note to my Reviewers: I LOVE YOU!Thank you **so **much for all of your support. And sorry for taking so darn long to update! 

**_Please Review!_**


	3. Present Day Past

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song **Far Away** by **Nickelback**.

**

* * *

**

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Three**

**_December 26th, 2002 — Soul Society, Rukongai — 8:20 AM_**

"You didn't get me anything for Christmas yesterday, you realize," Ichigo said, yawning and wrapping the blanket more tightly around his body. "So, I'm stealing the blanket as a... present of sorts."

Rukia shivered beside him, the second, thinner blanket wrapped around her own, small body. She shakily stuck her tongue out at him, then frowned as she snuggled further into her blanket. Ichigo, sighing, finally gave in and looped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him and flopping the thicker quilt around her shoulders, too. She grinned; he had a weakness for girls.

"But only because I'm a nice guy, and you know it."

"Nice, my foot."

"What was that? You'd rather sit under your own blanket while _I_ keep the warm one?" he taunted, raising an eyebrow as he began to move his quilt from her shoulders.

"You're _very _nice, Ichigo," she grumbled quickly, moving closer to him to take the warmth that he offered.

He smirked. "I thought so."

Rukia rolled her eyes, then said, "I though you were going to meet Misa-Misa today. It's been hours since we woke up, and you haven't made a move to leave... yet."

"Stop calling her Misa-Misa! And I _will_. I'm just trying to mentally figure out what the hell to say about what _you _did yesterday," hr grumbled, stretching his toes at the painful memory of freezing feet and insane situations in which Rukia mentioned babysitters.

"Well, if you're trying to figure it out _mentally..._ should I go tell her you'll be a week? I mean, after all, you're not very good at thinking. You don't want to try too much at once, or you could hurt yourself."

Three seconds later, Rukia was pouting on the floor where Ichigo had kicked her off of the bed and out from under his quilt. They stayed like that, pouting and thinking, for quite some time. Finally, Ichigo stood up and dropped his blanket in an ungraceful heap on Rukia's head.

"I'm going out now."

"Where?" Rukia asked, frowning and blinking, wrestling to get the blanket around herself and not on top of messy, raven hair.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, smirking. "To drown myself. Where do _think_?"

"Misa-Misa?"

"Are you going to keep calling her that? No matter what I say or do?"

"Yup."

Success! She'd finally gotten the blanket around her small, shivering body. She grinned up at Ichigo and then stuck her tongue out at him again. He raised an eyebrow and then turned to walk out of the little trap door that led to the cold, freezing world. He'd had his shoes and coat on for thirty minutes; now all he had to do was get to the market without freezing to death.

"I'll be here when you come sulking home from rejection, k?" Rukia shouted, grinning to herself.

"Ah, stuff it, Midget!"

She continued grinning and snuggled deeper into Ichigo's blanket. It smelled like him; the smell of pine trees, and a tiny hint of dirt. She breathed in deeply, then sighed. They needed water, and even if Ichigo _had_ said she couldn't go alone, he wasn't going to be much help is he was ogling over Misa-Misa all day.

Pushing the blankets off her shoulders, she grabbed her coat and shrugged it on before staring at the new shoes that Ichigo had gotten her.

She left without them.

**_9:30 AM_**

Ichigo stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked into the shoe shop. He wasn't surprised in the least to see Misa sitting behind the counter, and as he walked up, she smiled and waved him over.

"Did the shoes not fit your daughter? Do you need to trade them in?" she asked, grinning brightly as Ichigo gaped.

_Wow_.

Rukia's feet were smaller than he though, if her shoe size got mistaken for that of a _child_.

"I don't have a daughter," he said quickly. "I'm _sixteen_. Those were for my girlfriend... my friend who is a girl! Um... she was playing around yesterday when she called me Ichi-chan, you know. We're not together or anything, and there was no babysitter involved. And I came out her today to ask if you'd liketogotothelakewithme!"

Misa blinked a few time, her green eyes wide as she mulled the mashed-together words over in her head, trying to make out what he'd said.

Finally...

...she gave up.

"_What_?"

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, and moved his eyes to the counter.

"Would you like to go to the lake with me?" he said, his words fast again—but not nearly as fast as before.

"Oooh..." Misa seemed to think this over for a minute before nodding, smiling, and then asking, "But why the lake? What will we do there? I mean... it's like... _totally_ frozen!"

Ichigo shrugged, then smirked. "I dunno. But there's not too many places to go, you know. This hell hole of a district is a mess, and—"

"Why don't you introduce me to your family?" she suggested, climbing out from behind the counter and closing the entrance to the back of the shop. Ichigo bit his lip.

"Umm... no, I can't..."

"Why not? Do you... think they won't like me?" Misa questioned, grabbing Ichigo's arm and hauling him out of the shop. He quickly began walking, trying to match her steps as Misa bounced around outside. She was only a little shorter than him, and was very strong; a very strange transition from tiny Rukia, who was usually the only one who hauled him anywhere.

"They're not here. I was the only one who died when I came to Soul Society. They're still in the human world."

"Ooh! All right. I see..."

"Here, let's just look around the market," Ichigo suggested. "We can always go somewhere else tomorrow, if you can think of something... and if you'd like."

Misa nodded, and was about to say something when a loud, pained scream pierced through the air. Ichigo gasped, stopping in his tracks, his face going pale as Misa turned to him curiously.

"Kurosaki-kun...?"

"_Rukia_! That was Rukia!"

Breaking free of Misa's grip, he began to run. His feet kept catching in the dirt, and he kept falling down. His jeans were covered in mud and his amber eyes were quickly—urgently—scanning the streets. He saw people panicking, women gasping, men screaming... but not Rukia.

"Damn brat! Steal from me, will ya? I'll teach you!"

Another scream filled the air, then...

...time seemed to stop when he saw her, on the ground, and covered in blood.

It took him less than a second to run in front of the knife, and when it was plunged down, Ichigo bit back a scream of his own, twisting his hand to pull the knife out of the old, dirty man's grasp. Blood dripped down his arm, staining his jacket as he gripped his right hand in his left; the knife had pierced straight through his palm and out the other side; the rusty, filthy blade dripped with his blood and with Rukia's.

"Rukia!"

Remembering his friend, he turned around quickly to see her on the ground, blood pooling beneath her stomach. She was whimpering quietly, but her eyes were closed. He dropped down beside her, pulling the knife out of his hand before picking her up into his arms.

"Damn you, kid! Leave the girl! I'm not done with her; she stole from me!"

"Leave her the hell alone!" Ichigo screamed, holding Rukia closer. "Get the hell away from me!"

Without waiting for a response, Ichigo ran off, through the crowds and through the freezing cold air. His feet kept stumbling, but he didn't let himself fall, because he knew that, if he did, he'd risk hurting Rukia.

"Kurosaki-kun! _Kurosaki-kun_!"

The voice of Misa brought him out of the cloud of shock that he was in. He stopped running and looked around until he saw her; she gasped when her green eyes landed on them, the blood staining her vision as she numbly walked up to them.

"H-help her," Ichigo gasped, his amber eyes wide as he winced in pain. "I can't do anything... I think she's dying... Please, _help..._"

Misa nodded quickly, and began running, motioning for Ichigo to follow her.

"My father's a doctor! Hurry; she's losing a lot of blood!"

And as he ran, Ichigo let loose a tiny prayer, hoping that whatever Gods existed were kind enough not to take the most important person in his life away... again...

**_2:23 PM_**

Misa silently wrapped Ichigo's hand up after washing it with water; she couldn't do anymore, because her father had very little medicines to help with gashes and cuts, and the little bit of disinfectant that he _did _have was being used on Rukia; Ichigo had insisted upon it.

"I..." she began, then cut herself off when she saw Ichigo's empty eyes; his amber gaze rested on Rukia, who was resting beside them. Her breathing was fast, and her face was pale and sweaty. Her raven hair, brushed back by the worried hand of Ichigo, was clinging to her face as she took each shaky breath in.

"Is she gonna be all right?" he asked quietly, still not looking up.

Before Misa could answer, her father said, "I'm not sure, son. I did all I could for her. But I haven't the medicines to treat her right. I'd have to go into the bordering districts, and that's a no-can-do for me at this point. She'll be fine if she doesn't develop an infection, and if the knife didn't scrape any vital organs."

"...oh. Thank you, Abe-kun."

"Misa, come here," her father ordered. She nodded and stood up quickly, walking into the other room with her father.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, her gaze darting back and forth between Ichigo and her father.

"She's going to die. I didn't want to say it in front of that boy, but... she needs better treatment. That knife was filthy, and left behind too many germs; she's already developing an infection, and it's only been four hours. I know a doctor in the sixty-ninth district that can help her, but it's a several day walk. She might not make it. I want you to tell Ichigo, and go with them. Offer whatever medical assistance you can, and help them make it there... alive."

"But Father, you should—"

He shook his head.

"No, I want you to go. I can't; I have many patients here who need me, but the shop can live without you for a month or so. I'll give you whatever I can spare; cloth bandages, water, food, blankets... but you have to go _now_. She doesn't have a lot of time left."

"All right."

Abe-kun nodded.

"You'll leave come dark. Get ready. Pack lightly; only what you can carry and run with at the same time."

Misa nodded and went back in the room to tell Ichigo. With each word, his eyes grew darker and darker, and when she mentioned that Rukia might not make it if they didn't get her to the doctor, he stood up so quickly that his chair fell over and clattered to the floor. His fists clenched so hard that blood began to seep through the bandages and pool in his palm.

"Damn it, Rukia! You can't do this to me! _No!_"

He slid down the wall and dropped his head in his hands.

"No... God, Rukia... please don't die...I can't go through this again..."

As Misa quietly left the room to pack up the things they would need on their journey, she could have sworn...

...that she heard him crying.

* * *

_All right_, here it is. All my reviews are going to say "Ichigo is OOC" but the reason he's so emotional has to do with the person he lost in the past. Keep reading, and you'll learn more. So don't flame too much about that! But that was some plot-twist, huh? I hope you're enjoying my story, though!

And does everyone hate Misa? I don't want people to hate her too much...

**P.S. **I made a Halloween Story a few days ago. It's in my profile, and its name is: **Happy Holloween**. Please Read!

_**Pleeeeeease Review! **(I'll give hugs... actually, _I_ need a hug. But I'll give you one, anyway 'cause I'm nice. XD)_


	4. Hold Onto Me

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song **Far Away** by **Nickelback**.

**

* * *

**

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Four**

**_December 27th, 2002 — Soul Society, Rukongai — 9:13 AM_**

His rough hands ran over the cold, pale skin of Rukia's stomach and he winced; the gash was turning a sick, greenish color and the signs of infection were clear. Dried blood held together the wound loosely, but Ichigo knew he had to keep it open at least a little to clean it. She was sweating and shivering at the same time; he was worried.

"_Damn it_!'

Misa looked over, concerned, from where she'd just managed to start a small campfire with the few, broken matches her father had given her. She added a few sticks to the fire and walked over to help Ichigo change the bandage on Rukia's stomach.

"Kurosaki-kun...?"

"I don't know what to do. Damn it, she's dying, and I can't do a thing. We're days away from help, and she's already got one hell of an infection. I can't lose her..."

Misa gave him a gentle smile as he pulled down Rukia's sweater after tying the clean, pure white cloth around her stomach; tiny droplets of blood had already soaked through.

"You love her, huh?"

Misa's voice was soft and quiet, but to Ichigo, it was the most surprising thing in the world. His amber eyes widened, and his hands stopped in mid-air. His breath caught in his throat, and he was about to quickly reply that only an insane idiot could possibly love the bunny-loving-freak that was his friend, but stopped himself before he did.

Instead, he said simply, "Why would you think that?" before tucking the blanket around Rukia's shivering form. His fingers lingered on her cheek, brushing away her hair before he sat back, his eyes still on the raven-haired girl in front of him.

"Why _wouldn't_ I? Your actions, your words, they way you touch her, look at her... your gaze is so piercing. Everything you do or say to her, the way you put yourself in front of her even though you knew it was dangerous. It all screams the same thing: you love her."

"I... no," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "She's my best friend, that's _all_."

Misa smirked, moving closer to the fire to add a few more twigs.

"Denial won't help. When you find someone who you love more than anything in the world, if you don't hang onto them, they'll slip away. Possibly forever. I recommend that, when Rukia wakes up, you tell her how you feel."

"And how would that be?" Ichigo asked, frowning as he began to randomly snap small twigs between his fingers.

"You love her."

"I do not!"

Misa laughed to herself as she broke off a small piece of bread from one of the loaves and handed it to her blushing companion. He took it and ate it in one bite, turning away to hide the pink that was spreading across his cheeks.

"Get some sleep, Misa-san. We're leaving again before the moon comes out."

Ichigo laid down, resting his head on his arm. The sun was shining on them; they'd traveled all night, and still they were only about a fifth of the way to their destination. They'd have to start making better time, or else Rukia wouldn't make it.

Closing his eyes against the glare of the unforgiving sun, Ichigo let himself slip into a deep, nightmare-filled sleep.

**_3:12_**

Come afternoon, he was sitting by Rukia's side, running a wet cloth down her stomach again. The water dripped into and around the wound, but didn't do much to clean it out. Every once in a while, she would wince in her sleep and he would draw his hand back as if he'd touched acid; he hated hurting her.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of the fresh, clean air; he had to get his emotions under control.

Then,

"Mmmm... Ichi... go?"

He didn't believe it was real; his mind was playing tricks on him; he didn't even bother to open his eyes.

"Ichi..."

_Rukia.._.

His eyes snapped open without his wanting them to, and his gaze flew to the face of the girl that was worrying him so much. When amber met violet, he let out an involuntary gasp before dropping his cloth to the ground, and instead taking her hand into his.

"Rukia... God, _Rukia_! You're awake! How do you feel?"

She winced a little, her eyes slipping closed for a few seconds before she managed to open them again. She was breathing heavily, each breath a much-needed gasp.

"H-hurts..."

He bit his lip and quickly picked up his fallen rag before pressing it to her stomach again. He said slowly, "Sorry; we don't have anything to numb the pain. God, I'm sorry this happened, Rukia. I should have been there..."

He let his head drop as Rukia gave his hand a weak squeeze.

"Not... y-your f-fau... lt..."

"Yes it is. I told you not to get food and water on your own, and yet when we needed it, I wasn't there, and—"

She cut him off by moving over and laying her head on his lap.

"S-stop..."

He nodded and began wrapping her stomach again; the old bandages were covered in infection and blood. His rough fingers gently flew over her skin, and she closed her eyes again as he gently moved her around.

"W...water..."

Ichigo nodded, gently placed her head on the ground again, and bolted over to where Misa kept the jug of water; the brown-haired girl was still sleeping soundly as he grabbed what he'd come for and moved back over to Rukia again.

"Here, drink slowly."

He tipped the jug up to her lips and let a tiny stream of water flow into her dry mouth. She drank it hungrily, her hand shaking as she moved it up to touch the jug. Ichigo shifted into a better position, letting the water run a little bit faster.

"Don't swallow too fast—"

He was cut off when she began chocking on the water. Letting a tiny smile make it's way to his lips, he pulled the water away and lifted her a little, allowing her to swallow. "Told ya so, stupid."

Somehow, even in her current state, she managed a glare and a rather weak punch to the arm. His smile fell, however, when her head slumped over to the side, her eyes fluttering closed and her arms falling loosely to her sides.

"Rukia? _Rukia_!"

He pressed his ear to her chest, and the soft, steady beating of her heart told him she'd just fallen asleep; she was alive, and for the moment, she was fine. Sighing in relief, Ichigo leaned back against the nearest tree, closing his eyes once again. _She'd woken up_... even if just for a minute. She was alive, and she'd spoken to him, and that was good enough for now.

"... Love her?"

He pressed his lips tightly together, letting his fingers run gently through Rukia's hair before shrugging.

"...Nah."

**_5:48_**

"Hey, look who's awake," Ichigo said, grinning down at the girl in his arms. Her eyes were just fluttering open, and the first thing she felt was the wind, cold against her skin. She shivered, and pressed herself closer to the man holding her. "Sorry; we're kinda moving fast. Not a good time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

She closed her eyes again, and Ichigo said loudly,

"But that doesn't mean you have to go back to sleep, you know!"

Misa laughed from beside the two where she was currently running. Her feet hit against the ground in a steady rhythm, always keeping one step ahead of the orange-haired teen. "He's been staring at you for the past half hour, as if willing you awake. What do ya know," Misa said, laughing, "it finally worked."

The smaller girl smiled a tiny bit, but kept her eyes closed; she was willing herself not to wince, or even cry, from the pain that was coursing through her body at each movement that Ichigo was making.

"Sorry," Ichigo said quietly. "I know it hurts. But we have to hurry up; we need to get there as soon as possible, or..."

He cut himself off, and didn't say another word as Rukia closed her eyes again. She knew. She knew she was dying; she could feel it. Her thoughts, her feelings... they all kept slipping away, coming back for only an instant, as if to tease her. Then, they went away again; her mind, her thoughts, _everything_ was leaving her.

"Thanks... Ichi...go," she whispered, clenching his shirt tightly in her small, slim fingers.

"Hmm?" He looked down at her, trying not to notice how sick she looked.

"For being... there for m-me..."

He smiled, picking up the pace a little; his feet moved fast under him, and his mind was racing. He whispered back, "No need to thank me, stupid. I'll always be there for you. But now it's up to you. You have to hold on until we find help.

"C-can't... hold o-on..."

His feet slid hard against the snowy, wet ground as he stopped in his tracks. He stared down at Rukia, his eyes unbelieving as her own began to flutter closed. He fell to the ground, his knees hitting hard against the cold, frozen rain. He gently laid Rukia down and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Rukia! No, keep your eyes open. What do you mean you can't hold on? C'mon, we're gonna get you help... Rukia! Open your eyes!"

Misa, who was now running back from where she stood, bent down beside Ichigo and placed two fingers on Rukia's neck, feeling for the pulse that she wished more than anything was there.

It was.

"She's alive, but her pulse is sluggish."

Ichigo didn't answer her, and instead, kept talking to Rukia. "_Rukia_! Look at me... c'mon, please, open your eyes..." he begged, his fingers running shakily through her hair. Her breathing came in gasps, and she was sweating again.

Misa bit her lip.

"We need to hurry; we can't stop during the day anymore," she said quickly, pulling up Rukia's top and moving away the bandages. She winced at the infection; it was getting worse at a steady rate. The gash, which ran from an inch below her breast down to her bellybutton, was green and was oozing white puss. Ichigo looked away, tears stinging at his amber gaze again.

"Will she open her eyes again?" he asked, tearing a clean piece of cloth off of the bundle and soaking it in cold water; he began washing the puss and some of the dried blood and infection away. Misa quickly wrapped the wound again, and Ichigo picked Rukia up into his arms, holding her close.

"I don't know. But... she doesn't have long."

"I _know_ that!" Ichigo snapped loudly, throwing Misa's pack over his shoulder. "Try and keep up; I'm not stopping until Rukia's safe."

"It's over thirty miles away! That's a two day walk—"

"I don't _give a damn_! Keep up, or go home!"

And with that, he was running again, the wind blowing at his face and the hard rocks pressing into his feet; he'd put his shoes on Rukia's bright pink, bare feet hours before, so his own were bare and cold. He was sure they were cut and blistered, but he really didn't care.

_"C-can't... hold o-on..."_

Rukia's slurred, tired words assaulted his thoughts, and he couldn't concentrate as he kept moving forward. Rukia shook in his arms, and he hastily wiped away his tears.

_This is all my fault,_ he thought, slamming his feet on the ground harder than was probably necessary. _If I'd just stayed home, and helped her... but I left her alone, after what happened last week... when she tried this before..._

He knew that blaming himself wasn't helping, but if Rukia didn't make it, and it was even remotely his fault, he knew he'd never forgive himself.

So, he kept running for over two hours.

Misa, behind him, was gasping for breath, but he didn't even notice; he didn't notice anything, not even the dips and gutters in the ground, so, when he came upon one that he didn't pass to the side of, he tripped, his feet catching in the snowy dirt.

"Yaaah!" he screamed, closing his eyes as he gripped onto Rukia tightly, holding her close as he fell. His back hit hard into the ground, and the pulsing, burning pain his his ankle told him that something was wrong.

**_9:12 PM_**

"I need to get going," Ichigo said, standing to his feet; he didn't stay up long. His ankle collapsed under him, and he fell back down. Misa sighed.

"I know that, Kurosaki-kun. I _know_. Rukia-san isn't—"

"Rukia's gonna die if I don't get her help!" he yelled, biting his lip so hard that he drew blood as he stood to his feet again. His ankle was wrapped tightly in the bandages that they'd saved for Rukia, but the bright purple and green bruises from where he'd twisted it were apparent above and below the bandages; the skin was pulsing red, and burning fire ran up and down his nerves as he moved.

"Sit _down_, Kurosaki-kun! Your ankle is badly hurt, and your feet are bloody and blistered; you can't keep this up for another two days."

"Yes, I can."

"_No, _you can't!"

"I need to help—"

"_You can't help Rukia if you're dead_!"

Misa's voice was much louder than he'd ever heard it; she was standing above him, her fists clenched and her eyes filled with anger. "You can't help her, if you kill yourself trying. Rest; she's fine for now. She's sleeping, and I opened the wound enough to clean it _very_ well. I won't lie and say she's getting better; she's not. But I can't help her alone, and you can't keep this up."

"I can..." Ichigo argued weakly. "Or... I'll lose her, too."

Misa sat down beside him as he continued gently running his fingers through Rukia's sweaty, raven hair. He didn't move his gaze from the small girl's face as Misa began speaking softly.

"What happened, Kurosaki-kun? Who... who did you lose before Rukia-san?"

"I..."

He stopped speaking; he'd never told anyone before, not even Rukia.

"I... God, I loved her so much."

"_Who_?"

"My mom..._ my mom_... oh, God, she died ... "

Misa watched as Ichigo collapsed, his head falling into his hands as he began sobbing. His whole body shook with pain from the past, and pain from the present as he watched the girl who was more precious than anything slip away from him; it was too much for anyone, even a strong man. When he looked up, his eyes were bloodshot and tears were still slipping from them.

"I have to... save Rukia. I can't lose her... not now. I... God, I don't know... I can't lose her..._ I can't_..."

He fell to his knees in front of Misa, his fingers clenching into fists as his body shook.

"Misa-san, please help me. I'll give you anything, _do_ anything... just help me save Rukia. I don't care if I die. Just... _help_..."

Misa let a tiny smile fall on her lips. "One condition."

"What?" Ichigo asked, sitting back up and brushing the sweat from Rukia's forehead as he watched her breathe in and out. He didn't care what Misa said—he'd to it no matter what.

"When Rukia-san get's better, you have to tell her you love her."

"But I don't—"

"Don't worry; by the end of our journey, you'll stop denying it."

"I'll tell her if I really do love her; if I don't, I will _not_ tell her a lie like that," Ichigo said, his lips set in a firm line as he stared hard at his new friend. Misa shifted on the ground to place a blanket over Rukia's small form.

"So... deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

_Hmm..._ Misa is sneaky. XD Whatcha think of this chapter? And I'm glad people find Ichigo IC; it makes me happy. Oh! And **therealanon2.bunnisteffi** has brought it to my attention that I need to reply to reviews. So, from now on, I will.

But for now: THANKS everyone!

_**Please Review! **(And I will reply!)_


	5. Love You, Love Me

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Five**

**December 27th, 2002 — Soul Society, Rukongai — 10:03 PM**

He was running; his feet were hitting hard against the ground, and the blood was staining his sore feet. But he couldn't stop; he needed to get somewhere. Where... where? Where was it he was going? He didn't know. He'd forgotten, and he didn't even know when that had happened.

But he knew he needed to get there... he needed to get there... he needed to get there... No,_ he needed to get there now._

_His amber eyes were filled with tears, and his little, seven-year-old hands were clenched tightly together._

_"Mommy!"_

_But he didn't see her; she was gone, missing in the huge woods. The trees loomed above him, towering and threatening. He only cried faster._

_"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"_

_His little voice never got further than the forest; it faded and echoed, but no one heard it._

_Then, then... he saw her._

_"M...m-mommy..."_

_He fell to the ground, his knees splashing in the rain that was falling on him and pooling on the ground. The blood on his small toes mixed with the water as his little hands grasped the clothing his mom was wearing; she, too, was soaked in blood; her whole front... he neck... her face... her hair..._

_"Mommy!"_

_He laid his head on his Mommy's chest, and it was then, that he turned his eyes around the smallest bit, that he saw the knife coming toward him._

_And he screamed._

"_No_!"

Ichigo bolted upward. He was staring at the night sky; the stars lay in a thick blanket behind the thin clouds. His breathing was hard... tears ran unnoticed—unwanted—down his cheeks... his body was coated in a thin layer of sweat, and as he grasped his fingers into a fist, he realized they were shaking.

"_God_... not that dream again..."

He fell back against the grass, letting the snow encase his cold ears; he was sleeping further away from the campfire, there the warmth hadn't melted the snow. The two girls were laying beside the warm, glowing flame; Rukia was breathing slowly and steadily, something he noted with happiness.

"Uhnn... Kurosaki-kun?"

Misa blinked sleepily up at him as she sat up a little on the the patch of wet ground upon which she lay. Ichigo waved a shaking hand.

"I'm... fine. Go back to sleep... just a dream."

Truthfully, they had to leave soon, but he needed a minute or two to clear his thoughts; he'd seen it again. The death of his mother, played out in front of him like a tape... he hated it. His memories were horrible enough; he had watched his mother protect him by pushing him out of the way of their attacker, and then he'd found her where she'd run away to protect him, covered in blood.

He'd died shortly after, and had run around in circles as a soul, sobbing uncontrollably, refusing to let the Shinigami send him on to the Soul Society simply because he held a sword; he'd been killed by a knife, but the sword still scared the hell out of him.

Looking back on it now, it was sort of funny how he'd totally freaked out; the only way the man had gotten him to hold still was by reassuring that his mother had been sent to the Soul Society before him.

_"You're mother is already there. Who knows? You might meet her on the other side."_

_The little boy stopped running; there was still blood all over his body, even as a soul, but as he shakily wiped away his tears, he asked, "Mommy there? Mommy_ alive_?"_

_"In a sense, yes. Get_ over here_, kid, and you can go to Soul Society with her." _

The child grinned, tears still flowing down his bright, red cheeks as the hilt of the blade bumped against his forehead.

"Yeah! Mommy!"

Ichigo laughed a little bit, but his laugh caught in his throat, chocking on the sobs he was trying to hold back.

"Mom... I'm sorry I couldn't save you," he whispered, standing to his feet and moving to the fire. The first thing he did was check on Rukia; she was breathing hard again, gasping for breath as she coughed. He frowned and lifted her up to lean against him. "... I couldn't save you, mom, but I want to save Rukia this time; I can't let her die. I can't live without her. Please, wherever you are... _help me_."

**December 28th, 12:31 AM**

Ichigo wrapped the single, rough blanket around Rukia's small, shivering body before picking her into his arms. Then, they were moving again; fast, but not too fast, and slow, but not so slow that they'd never make in time. Instead, they ran through the snow at a mild pace; Ichigo was thankful for the freezing rain that was numbing his blistered, bloody feet.

Suddenly, Misa spoke.

"So how did your mother die? Is that... what you dreamed about?"

The question was random but soft; Misa looked over at Ichigo, and his amber eyes moved down to stare at the girl in his arms. Rukia was breathing at a steady pace again, the painful gasps having quit less than an hour ago; they seemed to stop and start randomly.

He took a breath in.

" ... I ... she was killed before I came here, to Soul Society," he said slowly, his voice so low he was afraid she couldn't hear it. "At the same time I was killed. B... but, she died before I did..."

He'd never told anyone this; his heart clenched painfully... but it felt sort of nice, to say everything for the first time out loud, to get it off his chest... to let someone know of his pain.

"... she saved me. Pushed me out of the way. I... I died beside her," he finished, his voice dropping with the last word, then dying out.

Her eyes widening a little bit, Misa drew in a deep breath and looked away; what could she say?

I'm sorry?

I shouldn't have asked?

I understand? 

No... because she didn't understand; she'd never lost anyone before. But... he seemed to be in such pain; his amber eyes were clouded over as he stared into the pale face of Rukia.

He wouldn't be able to go on if she died; Misa knew it. If he lost yet another precious person, he wouldn't be able to make it through the day. If he lost Rukia—the loud, tom-boyish girl who kicked him every night and yelled every morning—he would break down.

Because he loved her. 

He was just too damn thick headed to admit it.

She rolled her eyes half-heartedly, then asked gently, "What was your mother like?"

She was trying to strike up conversation again; his mother might not have been the best topic, but having him talk about it—even though it brought up painful memories—seemed to help a little, but she knew she needed to tread carefully with a subject so close to his heart.

"She was... so beautiful and kind. I... she always held my hand—I was such a mommy's boy. I was always clinging to her; remembering it now, I must have looked weird. I was seven when she died, and still clinging to her with every step."

He was smiling now, but the pain was still in his eyes, raw and deep.

"She never got mad or cried in front of me; she knew that her mood effected me, so she always smiled. My whole world revolved around her, and she knew it. She loved me and my father more than anything; we, in turn, were _her_ whole world. I still love her. I hope that I'll find her someday, but for now, I know she's out there somewhere, thinking about me. So I'm fine."

Misa smiled a little bit again.

"She sounds wonderful."

"Yeah, she is."

Silence once again filled the air, but it somehow seemed lighter. The tension in Ichigo's body had left, and the uncomfortable aura had dissipated, leaving only a comfortable sort of silence; Misa didn't mind it so much now, and didn't try to speak again for what seemed miles.

She ran and he ran, and when she needed to take a break from running, they walked instead. She nibbled on some bread and he took a drink of water. At one point, Rukia slobbered on Ichigo, and while Misa laughed so hard and uncontrollably that she tripped over her own feet, Ichigo tried in vain to scrape the Rukia slobber off of his clothing without dropping said girl.

They walked, they ran, and they even stopped long enough to clean out Rukia's wound as best they could and gather snow inside their empty jug to melt over the fire that night.

"Violet."

"Indigo."

"_Violet_!"

"_Indigo_!"

And somehow, they'd managed to get into a light-hearted fight about what color Rukia's eyes were.

"Violet! I've stared into them every morning for three years!" Ichigo protested. "I think I'd know!"

"Ah ha! I _knew _it! You _have_ slept with her!"

"... You're perverted! We share a bed, so what! We haven't done... _that_!"

He was blushing, though. The light from the moon was whining down on them and betrayed the embarrassed feelings he was trying to hide.

Misa laughed and Ichigo smiled. The ran in silence again for a while, and as they slowed down to a walk for the third time that night, Misa's curiosity got the better of her.

"So how did you and Rukia meet?" she blurted out, ducking under a tree and jumping over a rock.

"Ah, that," Ichigo said, smiling fondly at his childhood friend. Rukia's fingers had somehow managed to wind themselves in his clothing, and she was holding on tightly, her pale face screwing up in pain every once in a while from the jolting. "She kicked my feet out from under me and sat one me."

Misa raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment. Instead, she said,

"You love her."

"Do not."

It was a simple, two sentence routine that they's gotten into over the past day and a half. Misa would comment on his feelings, and he would deny them; at first, he was louder about it, but had quickly learned that his show of emotions only made her poke harder.

"Look... how do you feel about me?"

"Huh?" He looked confused. "You're my friend... why?

"In more detail, please," Misa said, rolling her eyes. "I'm trying to _prove_ something here."

"Well... if you got hurt, I'd do all I could to help you. If you get an abusive boyfriend, I'll kill him. I'd try and find out what was wrong if you were feeling down. If you were emotionally hurt, I'd comfort you."

"Good," Misa said, sitting down on a rock. Ichigo noticed that she'd stopped and he stopped, too. He took out a chunk of bread and split it, handing part of it to Misa, talking part of it himself, and putting the other part back to soak later and have Rukia eat. Misa continued,

"Now, how do you feel about your mom? How did you feel when she... when she was dying?"

Ichigo pressed his lips tightly together before placing his bread on the ground beside him and entwining his fingers. "I loved her. I felt like I had to do everything in my power to save her. I felt that, if I didn't save her, my whole world would fall apart. I... when I saw her on the ground, covered in blood... I knew I should have been there to shield her from danger. I knew I couldn't help her, but I wanted to _so badly_. I cried and cried for days, even after coming here. I felt like I'd never feel the same way about anyone again. But now... Rukia's dying, and..."

Misa smiled a little bit. "Rukia's gonna be _fine _if we don't stop for too long at any one time; we should reach help before the sun goes down in sixteen hours. Let's just hope that her infection doesn't get worse; I won't lie... it could. But you just proved my point."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked confused again as he placed his hand on Rukia's forehead; her fever had gone up. Even while he was talking with Misa, he was constantly worried about the little, raven-haired girl.

"At the beginning of your sentence, you said 'I loved my mom.' Then, at the end, you said 'I felt like I'd never feel the same about anyone again. But now, _Rukia_.'... " She trailed off and smirked, as if she'd just accomplished something great.

"I don't love Rukia!"

He was pouting. His bottom lip was stuck out as he glared at the girl in front of him. Misa laughed and shrugged.

"Whatever you say, _Lover Boy_."

**_8:23 AM_**

"What does love mean?"

"Hmm?"

Misa looked up from where she was poking the campfire; they were out of water, and had been forced to stop to melt snow for more before they could clean Rukia's wound again. Ichigo didn't like stopping, so, he paced. They were almost there, and they had to stop.

"Love. What does it mean? I mean... like a literal definition. I know I loved my mom and dad, and—"

"And Rukia."

"Do not!"

Misa giggled before leaning over and tucking the blanket around the girl in question.

"Love... I guess it means what you want it to mean. Like... never wanting to be apart from the person you love for even a second. Wanting to make them always smile... your heart breaking when they're sad or crying. The need to protect them, the fact that you'd give you life up for them. Wanting to be as close as to them as possible for as long as possible. That's love, I guess. The feeling of overflowing with... _something_ that no one can explain as anything _but_ love. When that empty feeling inside you goes away. That's how I'd explain it."

"So, in a word, being complete?" Ichigo questioned, dropping down beside Rukia. He stared into her face, and reached out to touch her slim, pale fingers. They were cold, but soft.

"Uh huh. And in several words, what I just said," Misa said, smiling. She grabbed her poker-stick and poked the fire a little more; as soon as the water inside the metal jug melted, they'd start moving again.

"Huh..."

His fingers laced with Rukia's as he thought; he didn't notice the intimate movement even when Rukia squeezed back slightly. He just smiled unknowingly.

_"Never wanting to be apart from the person you love for even a second... __Wanting to make them always smile... your heart breaking when they're sad or crying."_

He sighed. It wasn't possible, was it? It couldn't be, but...

_"The need to protect them, the fact that you'd give you life up for them... Wanting to be as close as to them as possible for as long as possible."_

Ah, damn it all.

He was in love.

* * *

_Yay!_ (—Does the happy dance—) Ichi is in love. XD Finally, I got him to realize it. Now, I have to get them to where Rukia can get help, go through the healing process, and the _plot_ after that. Well, the second plot, really. My first plot was Make-Ichigo-realize-he's-in-love. It took five chapters (And it'll take several more before he tells Rukia).

But... Sigh It seems a little "Blah" right now. Are people actually enjoying this? And please don't think I'm dumbing down Rukia's condition; she's still gonna die if they don't finger her help _soon_.

But I'm really starting to like Misa!

_**Please Review! **(I replied to all the ones for my last chapter! (I think) Yay me!)_


	6. Leaving Behind Life

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Six**

**_December 28th, 2002 — Soul Society, Rukongai — 7:19 PM_**

Ichigo muttered quietly under his breath as he sloshed his way through the freshly fallen snow. It now came up to his knees, and everything below his thighs felt numb; he was sure he was gonna be a popsicle before the got Rukia to help; they _would_ have been there hours ago, but the snow was coming down hard and fast; he could barely see Misa, who was walking beside him.

"I _hate_ rain."

"It's not rain," Misa argued, wrapping her arms around her body in attempt to warm herself.

"It's rain," Ichigo grumbled. "Just in a frozen state. If we put it over fire, like we did earlier, it becomes water and then falls down on us as _rain_."

"But at _this_ moment, it's _snow_, not _rain_." Misa was smiling now; she was having far too much fun.

Ichigo muttered a few choice words under his breath before taking a deep breath in. The cold stung his throat and his lungs, and he felt as if his insides were freezing slowly. He sighed and tried to block out the feelings that he was experiencing; tiredness, fear, cold... no, he had to find Rukia help. She was shivering terribly in his arms, even with his coat and her blanket wrapped tightly around her body. Her lips were blue, and her face was even more pale than before.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost."

Neither of them said another word as Ichigo jumped over a snow-covered log and landed once again in the snow; it covered his knees now, and was falling at a terribly fast rate. The cold flakes were the size of his eyes, and were swirling down in patterns that he would have called beautiful if he weren't so worried about the girl he loved.

_The girl he loved_.

He couldn't believe that single thought seemed so normal to him now. He loved Rukia; he was sure of it. But ... damn. According to the deal he'd made with Misa, he now had to _tell_ Rukia.

What if she didn't feel the same way?

What if she laughed?

..._What if she rejected him?_

He sighed and shook his head; he couldn't dwell on those thoughts. Maybe Rukia did feel the same way, maybe instead of laughing, she'd smile. Maybe she _wouldn't _reject him. So, instead, he tried to think of something different. He said, slowly, "How will we know where to go once we get to the sixty-ninth district?"

Misa bit her lip and looked over; she could see his outline running beside her; he was a blur of orange and brown in a world of white.

"Um... my dad told me where to go, and I built a slightly sketchy mental map. I should be able to find it, and if I can't, I'm sure we can ask around. We're looking for Ishida-san. She's the healer in the sixty-ninth district. I heard that she left behind a husband and a son in the human world," she replied.

"Ah," was Ichigo's simple, quiet reply. Then, "Are we there yet?"

"_Soon_, Kurosaki-kun," she said, annoyance lingering in her voice. But she smiled, anyway. She watched him for a second. Watched him run, watched him hold the girl in his arms so gently, yet so carefully. She watched him stare into Rukia's face, yet watch where he was going so he wouldn't hurt her. He loved Rukia; she knew it. He just had to realize it, although she was sure he already had; he just had too much pride to admit it.

"Are we—"

"_No_."

"—there yet?"

Misa shook her head.

"Eager much?"

"My friend is dying; I sure as hell _am_ eager to help her."

His lips were set in a firm line as he clasped Rukia tighter to him. He wanted her to wake up. He wanted he to wake up so he could stare into her eyes again, so she could kick him again, and so maybe, one day when the time was right, he could tell her he loved her. Maybe, of course.

The snow kept falling. But, instead of cursing it like he had earlier, he embraced it; snow was Rukia's whole world. She loved it, even if it made her shiver and made her toes turn pink. She once told him that, since she hated the rain, she had decided that she was going to think of the snow as pure rain; frozen in time and beautiful like the summer sun. After she'd said that, whenever he saw the snow, he thought of her; she, too, had a beauty that seemed frozen in time. Like somehow... no matter how many years past, her beauty would still remain the same. Snow reminded him of her, and even though it comforted him a little to think she was exactly where she wanted to be, it also brought up the question again: Was she going to make it? If she didn't... what would he do?

"Oi! Kurosaki-kun, we're here!"

Ichigo looked up from where he was staring at the snow as they exited the trees and began to walk on the snow-covered streets. The houses, which were made mostly out of wood and sticks, were covered in the frozen rain; it lay softly on the roof of each house, and piled up to the windows on most. Misa smiled and then bit her lip, looking around. No one was wandering the streets, and it was horribly hard to see anything in the neverending snowfall.

"I think father said that it was in the middle of the district, so we have to walk for a bit more. Um... it's a large house, and is the only one with a door with a window. That should be enough..."

Ichigo nodded and continued walking. His feet pushed through the snow that was beginning to become heavy and hard to move. He tilted his head toward the sky and closed his eyes; the snow fell cold on his face, and he smiled at that. He felt _alive_.

"Rukia..."

His voice was so low that he was sure Misa couldn't hear it... he couldn't even hear it...

"... please,_ live_."

**_9:02 PM_**

Misa stumbled up the three steps leading to the house they'd just come to; it was small, but much larger than any other in the town, and the door had a small, circle window on it. On a filthy, worn piece of paper, written in sloppy, crude letters, was "Ishida-san". The sign hung inside, so not to get covered in rain and snow. Misa pulled her top up around her ears and knocked urgently.

Ichigo silently wondered if the door would even be able to open with all the snow that was piled up in front of it. But his strange thoughts were cut off as a small, flushed face appeared at the doorway. There was a smile smile on the lips of the child, and then the door was pushed open, little feet slipping quickly on the ground as the snow was pushed away from the steps.

Ichigo and Misa were met with bright, red hair and a toothy grin. The child smiled.

"Hullo! Welcome to Ishida-san's office. How can I help you?"

Ichigo walked inside when he was offered, then immediately blurted, "Help Rukia! Please, help her. She was stabbed two days ago, and developed a horrible infection. I think she's dying. Help... _please_."

All the smiles were gone as the little, red-headed boy grabbed onto Ichigo's cold hand and hauled him back into the end of the house. There was a small woman, pale and thin, sitting on a chair and holding a cup of tea in her hands. She immediatly jumped to her feet, putting the cup down, when they walked in. Ichigo re-explained the situation as quickly as he could manage, and the woman, Ishida-san, quickly led them into a third, smaller, room.

"Lay her down. Two days, you say? I hope she'll be fine. God, she's cold."

The woman ran around the room, grabbing a thin blanket, cloth, water and bandages. She quickly pulled the extra coverings from around Rukia's body and gasped when she saw the gash; Ichigo had been keeping it open to allow for cleaning, and dried blood surrounded the wound. Having been unable to stop for the whole day, the greenish-white puss had built up and was oozing out of the wound and all around the surrounding area. Some of the skin had even turned a darker color, and fresh blood was mixing with everything.

When he laid eyes on the gash, Ichigo's knees grew weak and he felt his stomach churning; he was gonna throw up...

"Are you all right?" Ishida-san exclaimed, stumbling over to where Ichigo had fallen on the ground, clutching his stomach. He nodded, sitting back against the wall and dropping his head in his hands. Sweat was forming on his forehead, and his hands were shaking.

"God... I didn't know it was that bad..." he whispered weakly.

Misa, who was waiting at the doorway with the little, red-headed boy, bit her lip and moved forward.

"Could you stay out?" Ishida-san asked, immediately stripping Rukia of her clothing and draping the thin blanket over the small girls shivering body. Misa nodded as Ishida-san grabbed the water and cloths and began to clean the wound out. Ichigo stood to his feet and moved over to the bed, taking Rukia's hand into his. Ishida-san glanced up at him, and began to speak, but didn't get very far; it was _very_ clear that he wasn't leaving.

"Keep holding her hand; even if she's not awake, it'll still help calm her when I start healing her."

Ichigo nodded, but still looked a little confused as Ishida-san bit her lip. Her black hair was shoulder-length and waved under her chin, and when she bent over, it encased her whole face almost. Her piercing emerald green eyes stared into the soft, calm face of Rukia.

"Is she your wife?

"No!"

Ichigo denied the observation quickly, and blushed a tiny, tiny bit as Ishida-san nodded.

"Girlfriend, then."

Ichigo didn't bother denying it.

"All right, I'm starting."

She placed both delicate, pale hands over Rukia's body and clasped them together. Muttering incantation quietly under her breath, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Her fingertips began to glow a faint green, then it grew to cover the whole of her hands; Ichigo watched in awe. He'd seen Shinigami in the district in which he lived, but he'd never seen a healer before. It was amazing, and the glow that warmed and healed was entrancing.

Soon, Rukia's erratic breathing slowed and became normal; her pale face even seemed to regain some of it's healthy glow. Ishida-san finally, after like what seemed forever, pulled her hands back. She smiled softly.

"There. All better. She will have a scar, but she's fine now. Of course, I can't say that she's one hundred percent healthy. Any damage, mental wise, that was caused by the infection will still be there. I can heal the body; nothing more."

"Mental damage?" Ichigo asked numbly, letting his fingers run over the large scar on Rukia's stomach. They'd been running for two whole days, without stopping unless they had to, and in less than five minutes, Rukia had been completely healed.

"In a few unique cases the victim lost some of their memories. One man forgot his wife and child, and a small child forgot her own name and her parents. That was only in extreme cases, and I'm not saying that your girlfriend's case wasn't extreme, but... I don't know. We'll have to wait until she wakes up, which could be anywhere from minutes to days."

"Days?"

Misa walked in as her soft voice floated through the air.

"Yes. It could be days, but I highly doubt it. By the way, my name is Ishida Kayio."

Ichigo smiled and, without looking, said, "Kurosaki Ichigo. This is Rukia... she doesn't have a family name. Came here to Soul Society as a baby."

Ishida-san nodded as Misa politely introduced herself as well, and the little child happily chirped that he was Saio. Ichigo didn't pay much attention; he was still staring into the sleeping face of Rukia. She looked peaceful now; she wasn't in pain, and her whole body had relaxed a little. The blanket wrapped around her naked body was pure white, and it somehow fit her personality; everything seemed white lately.

Ishida-san noticed Rukia's lack of clothing and, within ten minutes, she was dressed in a white robe and Ichigo was snoring at her bedside. He was still holding her small hand in his, and even in sleep, his fingers moved on hers and there was a smile on his face.

**_December 29th, 2:00 AM_**

"Unnn..."

His eyes slowly opening, Ichigo groaned sleepily and rolled over... only to fall off of his chair and land in an ungraceful heap on the floor. His tired, aching body sprawled out on the ground; he didn't feel like he could pull himself up even if he tried.

"Ouch."

Laying on the floor was much easier than trying to pull his body upright, but it was _cold_. And if he had anything to say about it, he'd had, in the past two days, just about enough cold for the rest of his life. So, gathering all his sleepy strength, he hauled himself into a sitting position, then used Rukia's cot to pull himself, finally, into a standing position before dropping into his chair.

"Morning, Rukia!" he said happily, grinning as he stared into the still-sleeping face of the small girl.

He half expected her to roll over in her sleep and ignore him. What he didn't expect, however, was for her bright, violet eyes to open and stare into his. His own eyes widened in shock, and he was sure his mouth was hanging open; it felt like his whole body was on fire as she stared directly into his soul; he could only smile wider.

"Ichi... go?"

He didn't respond for a few seconds; he couldn't. His voice didn't seem to work. Only small gasps came out when he tried to speak; he finally settled for not speaking and continued to grin like in idiot.

"Where... a-am I?" Her voice was still soft and quiet; she still stuttered a little. Ichigo didn't fail to notice this as he finally found his voice.

"Rukia!" he squeaked happily.

She laughed quietly and tried to sit up; Ichigo pushed her back down.

"Rest for a while, idiot... you nearly died. Don't try and move too much, all right?" His voice was laced with worry and his eyes displayed the same feeling, so she nodded and let her head fall back on the pillow.

They both sat in silence, Ichigo taking her hand into his and entwining their fingers without even noticing again. The silence that fell over them wasn't uncomfortable or lacking; even though there was so much that he wanted to say, even though he was sure she wanted to say just as much, neither said anything. The sound of the snow falling outside and the wind rattling the windows were the only noises in the room as Rukia's eyes began to fall closed sleepily again.

"Rukia..."

Ichigo's soft voice brought her out of the sleepy haze she lay in.

"Mmm?"

He smiled down at her before squeezing her hand and standing to his feet. Her fingers slipped away from hers as he stood and stared out at the window.

"Rukia... let's become Shinigami. We both have the power, and I don't want to live in this hell hole anymore. I want a life... a _real_ life, without worrying every day about you getting hurt... or dying. I don't want to feel that fear again. _Ever_."

Rukia blinked up at him as he finally turned around. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, and he was grinning slightly, although his eyes held a different emotion; the raw need to get away from the life they'd lived since they were small.

"Let's become Shinigami, Rukia. Together."

She smiled and let her eyes close once again.

"Yes... let's."

* * *

_Hmm_... well, I thought it was a strange chapter. I don't think it was very good (or at least not as good as the past few) but I re-did it three times, and I'm finally happy. Oh! And, for the record, Ishida-san is Uryuu's mother. I thought I'd put her in here somehow, and I did. Yay me! Now, I've done my part and written, edited and replied to reviews for four days, so now...

_**Please Review! **(And I will reply!)_


	7. It Hurts Like This

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Seven**

**_December 29th, 2002 — Soul Society, Rukongai — 8:00 AM_**

"Wouldn't becoming Shinigami make life even more dangerous than living here in Rukongai?"

Misa's bright, green eyes were questioning as she tilted her head to the side and bit her lip. Before her sat Ichigo; his hands were clasped together tightly, and he had just finished telling both Ishida-san and Misa where he and Rukia were going when she was well enough, and what they would be doing.

Ichigo sighed.

"I... I want to become a Shinigami to protect her. And to make life better for the both of us. I don't want to live where we have to steal to stay alive, and where we fear dying from the extreme cold every winter. If... we become Shinigami, we can live in Seireitei. Sure, it'll be hard and dangerous, but I want the power to protect the people important to me."

Misa smiled.

"That sounds reasonable. I guess... we won't see you again after you leave?"

Ichigo shrugged, then smirked. "Oh, and Misa-san."

"Hmm?"

"I noticed that, during our trip, you got hungry and needed to eat."

Misa's eyes grew wide and Ichigo's smirk grew. He pointed a finger at her and Ishida-san laughed as Misa gaped, trying to find words to deny what Ichigo was about to accuse her of. When she finally opened her mouth and began to speak, to was too late.

"Ah ha! I _knew it_! You have to eat because you have spiritual power, as well!"

Misa just pouted.

"Why are you trying to hide it?" Ichigo asked, still smirking at his accomplishment.

"Because I don't want people to know. My father knows, and that's all. Tell anyone, and I'll kill you," she threatened, her eyes sparkling.

Ichigo blinked a few times, and was just about to reply to Misa's rather evil threat when the shuffling of small, soft footsteps reached his ears. He turned around in his chair to see Rukia blinking sleepily at them. Her hair was a mess, and her small, pale body was still wrapped in the thick, white robe that Ishida-san had given her.

"Mmm... " she muttered, waving and walking in. She stared at the three occupants of the room, her violet eyes glancing from one blank face to the next. Finally, Ichigo jumped up from his chair and walked over, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You should be resting," he said, frowning at her as she shook her head.

"I'm fine," she whispered, managing a tiny smile that said something along the lines of try-and-force-me-back-to-bed-and_-die._

Ichigo sighed.

"Fine, then. At least sit down."

He refused to let her take the wooden chair and almost had to force her into the big, fluffy one he'd just vacated. She finally dropped into it, her legs giving out beneath her. Her tired eyes smiled as she continued to look around; she was more than surprised when she finally registered that it was Misa, the shoe-shop girl, who was sitting across from her and offering a smile and a tiny wave.

"... Misa-Misa?" she asked, her voice quiet and laced with sleepiness.

Ichigo cut in before Misa could speak. "Her father's a doctor, but he couldn't do enough to heal you. Misa helped me get you here, to Ishida-san. She's the one who healed you."

"... Oh," Rukia said, curling into the corner of the chair as she turned her gaze to the older woman. "Thank you very much, Ishida-san."

Said woman smiled and nodded before standing to her feet. She announced happily, her gaze going from one teen to another, "Looks like we need another cup of tea," before walking into the kitchen. She didn't know why, but the air in the living room was suddenly tense; she suspected some sort of rivalry going on between the girls.

Silence fell over the room, only an occasional yawn from Rukia or a cough from Ichigo breaking it. Misa noticed that Rukia's eyes never left her; she smirked, stood to her feet and began walking out of the room.

As she passed by Rukia, she leaned down and whispered,

"I'm not after him, you know."

Rukia's eyes widened as Misa walked the rest of the way out of the room.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit; you probably want to talk... but don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

She laughed and grinned as she walked into the kitchen. The voices of the happy teenage girl and Ishida-san were clear from where both Ichigo and Rukia awkwardly. Rukia played with the threads of the blanket that she'd just pulled over her shivering form.

"Um..."

Ichigo didn't quite know what to say. He had a million things he wanted to say, but didn't know which to say first, or if he should even say anything in the first place. He wanted to ask how she was feeling, if she was really all right. He wanted to ask if he could see the place she was injured; he didn't fully believe she was really, truly healed, that maybe this was just a dream, and he'd wake up into the cold, painful nightmare he'd lived through the last few days.

And he wanted to say, _I love you_, but he couldn't do that, either.

"Ichigo?"

"Hmm?"

His head snapped up, and he was more than surprised when his arms were filled with the soft, warm body of his best friend. She closed her eyes and he wrapped his arms around her small waist, holding her close as she laid her head on his shoulder. Their breathing was soft, and Ichigo was glad he had been standing up as he held her even closer.

"I though you were going to die," he whispered, his amber eyes clenching shut as he tried to hold back the tears he'd been holding back the whole time he'd slowly watched Rukia waste away, unable to do a thing. "I thought... I thought... God, I thought you were going to leave me..."

Rukia didn't move as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Ichigo."

A single, lone tear slipped unnoticed down his cheek as he buried his face in her hair.

"It's fine, stupid. Just... don't do that to me ever again. _Please_."

Rukia smiled into his jacket. She closed her own eyes and didn't let go; she wanted to stay in the safety of his arms forever, and he didn't mind holding her there. So, neither of them moved for what seemed forever. When Ichigo finally did pull back, he noticed the tears in Rukia's eyes.

"Whatcha crying for?" he asked, a frown on his face; he gently brushed the tears away, anyway.

"I'm not crying," Rukia insisted, hastily reaching up to wipe new tears away; Ichigo gave her an amused look as he stared into her moist, violet eyes. He gently took her hands into his and a small blush rose to her cheeks; she'd blame it on the cold later.

"I'm gonna become strong," he said, his eyebrows creased as he gripped her small, pale fingers tighter. "I promise I'll never let you get hurt like that again. But, by the way, that doesn't mean you can test that promise by doing something stupid!" he added, a grin on his lips as he finally released her hands.

Rukia stuck her tongue out at him as he sat down on the couch; she sat beside him and laid her head back on the soft material.

"Mmm... so sleepy."

Her violet eyes closed slowly and Ichigo found himself smiling at her. As her breathing slowed and finally became soft with sleep, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.

He was pulling back, still smiling, when Misa walked into the room.

"I saw that."

"Shut up," he snapped, blushing.

**_December 29th, 2002 — 7:11 PM_**

Ichigo sighed and paced around the room. Rukia was sleeping again, and Ishida-san had said that, as soon as Rukia was awake and had been fed something, they could leave if they wanted to.

"If it's all right, could I stay until the storm dies down?" Misa asked, turning and smiling gently at the older woman. "I don't know if I can make it home in these weather conditions."

Ishida-san nodded quickly. "Of course, Misa-san!" Then, she smiled. "We would love to have some company around for a few days," she said happily. Then, she turned to Ichigo. "Won't you and Rukia-san stay for a while, as well? I'm sure she could use the extra time to recover. Even though I healed her body completely, she is still weak."

Ichigo grinned.

"Well, in about six hours, you'll see what I mean by 'we should leave as soon as possible'. Rukia's impossible to manage when she's cooped up. She has to be outside, even if it _is_ fifty degrees below zero, and right now, it's nowhere near that. She needs room to move around."

"From what I saw when I met her," Misa said, laughing, "she sure does have spirit in her."

Ichigo simply nodded.

"Yeah, she sure does."

"..."

"..."

"You love her."

"Do not."

He was still in the habit of denying Misa's statement every time; even though he'd admitted it to himself that he _was_ in love with Rukia, he would never let Misa win.

But Misa didn't want to give in.

"Yes, you do."

"Do not!"

"Then why did you kiss her?"

"On the _forehead_."

"So what? It was still _lip_ to _skin_ contact. I doubt in the years that you've known her, that you've _ever_ done anything like that," she said smugly, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes dancing with amusement. Ichigo opened and closed his mouth a few times before snapping it shut again. When he finally did speak, his voice was low and he grumbled out only a few words.

"... well, no I haven't ..."

"Ah ha! I_ knew_ it! See, Rukia-san being in such a bad position and almost dying made you realize that _you love her_!"

Ichigo growled.

"And what if I do!"

"..."

Misa blinked a few times, surprise on her face; she'd never even dreamed of him actually caving in.

"Y-you do?"

A small, almost unnoticeable blush had spread across his cheeks. "I didn't say that," he grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself. "Not _exactly_..."

Slowly but surely a large smile broke out on Misa's face.

"Oooh, I win! Now you have to tell her, 'cause you promised you'd do it!"

Ichigo was actually _pouting_ as he dropped down on the chair beside him. His long legs hung over the end and his orange hair was sticking everywhere as he continued to stick his bottom lip out. Misa was having far too much fun, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"I don't wanna. If you want her to know, _you_ tell her," Ichigo protested.

"But _I'm_ not in love with her. _You_ are."

Misa laughed and the two continued to argue. Ishida-san smiled at the two, not breaking into the conversation, and no one noticed the small, raven-haired girl slowly climbing out of the bed in the other room. She sleepily ran her fists over her eyes and yawned as she walked to the door; she could hear voices now instead of just mummers, and Ishida-san had gone into the kitchen to grab more tea.

"So... what are you going to say, Kurosaki-kun?"

Hearing Misa's voice, Rukia paused at the doorway and peaked around the edge; she could see Misa sitting on the couch and Ichigo on the chair. Only his legs, which flopped over the side, and his bright orange hair, which was sticking everywhere, could be seen from her point of view, though.

"... I love you."

Her heart clenching painfully, Rukia turned around quickly and walked back to her bed, not wanting to hear anymore of Ichigo and Misa's conversation. Her hands were shaking as she tried to hold back tears, and as she climbed under her blanket, she felt a single, lone tear make it's way down her cheek.

_"... I love you."_

Rukia choked back a sob. His words had been uttered to another girl, and not her. But why should they have been? She was his friend, and only his friend. Why would he feel anything for her beyond that? He wouldn't, and she'd just have to accept that, even if Ichigo did love Misa.

But the pain in her heart as she heard the two other teenagers laughing happily in the other room...

... was worse than any pain she'd ever felt.

* * *

_Oooh_, now that Ichigo's got his head on straight and finally admitted that he loves Rukia (Out loud) Rukia overheard something wrong and thinks he loves Misa! Am I evil, or am I evil?

**Oh!** And FF finally has their polls option up! Yay! I put one in my profile, to see which kinds of stories people seem to like best (Using my own stories for reference) so I have an idea what I should do with my next one. **Please vote!**

_**Please Review, too! **(Sorry I didn't reply to the last ones; I was too busy writing! I figured some people might like a chapter better than a reply, and I only had time for one, and not both! Sooooory!)_


	8. Loved Me First

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Eight**

**_December 29th, 2002 — Soul Society, Rukongai — 11_****_:30 PM_**

Ichigo walked silently into the dark room; the tiny bit of moonlight that shone through the window lit up Rukia's soft, pale features and he smiled as he he got closer; he could see her chest rise and fall with each breath, and her small fingers were gripping the quilt tightly to her thin body.

"... _Ruuuukia_ ..."he whispered, grinning as he leaned over and placed his face about three inches from hers. "Waaaaake up..."

Violet eyes slowly opened a tiny bit, then they shot the rest of the way open and she screeched. _Loudly_. Ichigo was grinning so big she wouldn't have been surprised if his face split open as she jerked upright in the bed.

"Ichigo, I'm gonna—!"

She cut herself off, her spirits falling and her eyes closing softly, when she suddenly remembered what she'd overheard earlier. Her smirk fell and she laid back, pulling the quilt over her head. Ichigo looked concerned as he walked over. His fingers touched the fabric, intending to pull it away, but a small head peaked out form under the material and glared; he didn't miss the tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Woah! Are you hurt, Rukia? Why are you crying? Should I go get Ishida-san...?" he trailed off a she ripped the blanket out of his grasp and pulled it tighter around herself. But, instead of walking out like she apparently wanted him to do, he dragged a chair noisily across the floor and dropped down in it in front of his best friend—the girl he loved.

"Rukia, I hope you know that I'm staying _right here_ until you tell me what the hell has you so upset. I don't care if I'm here all week—I can wait longer than you can." A smile came to his lips. "Like when you first got your period and wouldn't tell me because you were embarrassed... no. Instead, you decided to blurt it out in the middle of the market and embarrass both you _and_ me to hell and back until we got home.

A small, raven head peeked out from under the blanket; he pretended not to notice, and continued talking.

"Or that time when we decided we weren't talking to each other because I'd done something to 'make you hate me', or some such crap. Well, at about the ninth hour—_hour_, Rukia, you couldn't even last a day!—you blurted out that you were sorry and that you'd never do anything like that again because you were being stupid. Then, of course, you hugged the stuffing out of me and stole my blanket."

A smile was on his lips, and even though he couldn't see it, Rukia was smiling, too. The tears had stopped. Even if he _did_ love someone else, he'd loved her—as a sister—before he'd even met Misa.

She'd taken his heart first...

... but losing it that hurt worse than anything.

"Oh!" Ichigo continued, snapping his fingers as he propped his feet on Rukia's bed; she could see that they were bright pink and clean. "How about the time that you told me you wanted to live in the river? I camped out there for a day and a half, just to make sure nothing would happen. Of course, you got bored and wet and cold, and crawled into my blanket in the middle of the night, and you were soaking wet, of course. I woke up freezing, Rukia! Geez! I always knew you had cold feet, but that was _horrible_."

He smiled in accomplishment when he heard a tiny laugh under the blanket.

"I know you're mad at me about something. Or maybe just upset. But I can't imagine what the _hell_ it could be. I've barely spoken to you in days!"

He paused and bit his lips, suddenly realizing something.

"Oh... Is that why?" he whispered.

"Is that why what?" Rukia asked, sniffling from inside her warm, fluffy fort.

"Are you mad 'cause I haven't been talking to you much?" Ichigo asked, removing his feet from her bed and clasping his hands together as he stared into her eyes.

"N-no... not really..."

Her voice was low, and Ichigo felt like a certified ass as he felt her sniffle again.

"Would ya please tell me? I don't want this to go on, Rukia. I hate it when you're upset or mad at me. Just _please_, tell me!"

Slowly, she began to sit up. When she was leaning against the wall and hugging her blanket, she met his eyes; her own were bloodshot and red; she'd been crying hard. He felt like kicking himself hard as she wiped away more tears. She seemed overly emotional, but he knew that could happen to even the strongest people when they had gone through an emotional experience; Rukia would probably bounce back quickly.

"I..."

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Rukia started speaking again.

"I o-overhead yo... you earlier..."

Ichigo drew in a deep breath, suddenly breaking eye contact. Oh, God. She'd overhead him? Overheard... _that_? But... if she was upset or mad at him... then... _she didn't feel the same way_. He mentally smacked himself for thinking, for even one second, that she might have loved him back. Finally, he stood up quickly and bit his lip.

"I... I have to leave. I'll be back in a bit."

He exited the room quickly and leaned up against the wall, breathing hard. His fingers clenched into fists as he slid down the only thing separating him from Rukia and sat on the floor, his head in his hands.

She was crying because she'd overhead him saying he loved her? Why? Was she scared that they would change, or that they couldn't be friends anymore? She surely didn't love him back, that was for sure.

He hadn't wanted to make her cry; all he'd wanted was to make her happy.

But he couldn't even do that.

**_December 30th, 2002 — 6:00 AM_**

Ichigo was sleeping on the floor in Rukia's room, and everything was silent as the violet haired girl quietly climbed out of her bed and tiptoed around her childhood friend. He didn't even stir as she wrapped the robe more tightly around herself; even though Ishida-san had given her some warm clothing to wear underneath, she was still cold.

As she passed the front door, she considered simply leaving, but quickly squashed that thought; it was far too cold, and she'd never make it anywhere in the current weather.

So, instead she headed toward the kitchen, and was only slightly surprised to see Ishida-san already up, making something for breakfast.

"Do you have spiritual power, too?" Rukia blurted out curiously, although the answer was fairly obvious; of _course_ she did. Anyone who could heal had spiritual power. Even the little boy that lived with Ishida-san had spiritual power, though he couldn't heal; he was practicing Kidō, instead.

Ishida-san smiled. "Yes, I do, Rukia-san."

Rukia nodded and sat down in one of the chairs in the kitchen. Her hands folded in her lap, and she forced a smile; she'd been wondering about Ishida-san's spiritual power, and now her curiosity was gone.

"So... if I become a Shinigami, I can heal, too?" she asked eagerly, kicking her feet back and forth; her toes didn't even touch the ground on the tall chair. She was looking around curiously as Ishida-san smiled softly and placed a pan of something dark and thick on the table. Rukia looked into it as the older woman began speaking.

"I suppose so... If you train."

Rukia nodded, the smile still on her lips as she hopped up. She was trying not to remember anything. She just wanted to forget about Ichigo and about Misa, even if it was just for a tiny bit; she wanted to live like her heart hadn't been broken.

"Can I help with anything, Ishida-san?"

The older woman looked from what she was doing to meet Rukia's gaze. Intense violet eyes blinked back at her, and she nodded, handing Rukia a spoon to mix the only thing left over the fire. She took it gladly and began mixing as the table was set for five. It was still dark outside, so a few more candles were added to the table as a pair of small feet shuffled down the hall. The red head of Saio entered the kitchen and he was smiled at by both women as he dropped down into the chair that Rukia had just vacated.

"Good morning!" he chirped happily, sticking his fingers into the pot on the table; Ishida-san gently whacked his hand with a spoon and he drew it back quickly, whispering, "Owie."

"Oi... mornin'."

When a forth voice entered the conversation, Rukia tensed up, and her happy mood was suddenly gone.She bit her lip as she continued stirring the remainder of breakfast, and didn't turn around as Ichigo dropped down beside Saio; he was trying to avoid her gaze, too, for he didn't even glance toward the fire. _He must feel awkward, because I overheard him telling Misa that... that... _Rukia thought, her fingers shaking on the mixing spoon; she was biting her lip harder to hold her feelings inside.

"Is Misa-san awake yet?" Ishida-san asked, trying to break the sudden, awkward silence in the kitchen as she placed the last plate on the table. Then, she turned to face the older, orange-haired teen. He shook his head in answer to her question.

"Nah. I think she's still sleeping. She was up late."

_With you_, Rukia mused silently. She sighed; she shouldn't be feeling dislike—possibly hatred—toward someone who had helped save her life. She should have been thanking her, not hating her silently. It wasn't Misa's fault that Ichigo loved her; it had just happened, and no matter what either of them did, it probably would have happened anyway.

Taking a deep breath and taking the pot off of the iron catch over the open fire, she turned around and began walking toward the table.

""Rukia, isn't that heavy... ?" Ichigo questioned, speaking to her for the first time that morning as he watched her struggle to bring the pot to the table. His concern rose as she bit her lip; he saw her fingers shaking under the weight. "Rukia!" he yelled, jumping from the table. "Let me take—"

He was cut off when Rukia's voice echoed throughout the room as she dropped to the floor, her eyes filling with tears and her left hand clutching her right. The gloves she had been wearing to protect her hands were thrown to the side as Ichigo quickly dropped down beside her and took her arm into his hands.

He'd been only seconds too late, and the contents of the pot had splashed on her arm, leaving behind pulsing, red burns. He ignored the pain in his own bare hands as he gently placed the burning hot pan to the floor.

"Rukia! Are you all right?"

His worried eyes scraped over her arm, surveying the damage; small blisters were forming, and the skin was turning a light purple around the areas where the boiling liquid had landed. His own hands were screaming with pain as he ran his fingers gently over her skin, and the small girl was whimpering in pain as he took the ice bag that a worried Saio offered. He pressed it to her arm and then looked up into her eyes.

"Rukia... "

He didn't say anything else as he just stared. She blinked back, a few stray tears falling from her eyes as her left hand gently touched his palms; both were bright red from where he had grabbed the burning pot out of her hands without proper protection from the hot iron.

"Ichigo... your hands!"

"Don't worry about me," he said quickly. "Your arm is—"

Rukia cut him off as she took the ice bag from her arm and pressed it into his hands. Ishida-san was looming over them, worried, as this exchange went on. Saio was hanging back, curious and worried. Neither of the teens, however, paid any attention to anyone else in the room as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Sorry, Ichigo," Rukia whispered. "I was careless, and now your hands are all burnt."

The blisters that had formed so quickly weren't too bad, although the ones that had busted in the confusion were burning like fire. He didn't give into the pain, though, and put on a brave face as he placed the ice back on Rukia's wrist. He smiled the tiniest bit.

"If I hadn't grabbed the pot, though," he said, wrapping his injured hands around Rukia's small arm to hold the slowly-melting ice on. "You'd be hurt even worse, and I couldn't let that happen."

His voice was quiet, but Rukia heard every word, even the next few that were uttered so quietly, and with a small blush.

"I care about you too much..."

She was surprised at his words, and forgot all about her pain for a split second as he grasped her hands in his, careful not to touch the burnt areas.

"I don't want you to ever get hurt again. That's why I'm gonna become the strongest Shinigami ever; to protect you." He grinned and stood to his feet, helping her up, too. He was careful not to hit the pot he'd place beside them only minutes before. "And I'm gonna have to be pretty damn strong if your clumsiness streak keeps going on like this."

She frowned at him for a second until her eyes landed on his hands again.

"Ichigo—"

"Don't even say it!" he said, his voice raising as he pressed the ice firmly to her arm. "I'll go grab some freezing snow for me in a second, but you need to keep that on your arm if you don't want it to blister and scar." He stopped talking and let his gaze fall to his own hands. "As for me... well, it's too late. I've already blistered."

"Can you heal him, Ishida-san?" Rukia asked, not letting go of Ichigo hand... or his gaze.

The older woman smiled sadly as she said, "No, not yet. My power is weak, and it took a lot out of me to heal you the other night. I'm sorry..."

Ichigo nodded and, with one last gaze into Rukia's deep, violet eyes, he let his hand drop away from hers. She reached down to grab the pot off of the floor, but Saio beat her to it; he grabbed the pot—with little glove-covered hands—and grinned brightly as he sat it on the table.

"Unnn..."

Everyone turned around at the sound of a fifth voice in the room.

"What did I miss?"

Misa blinked sleepily at everyone and her eyes landed on Ichigo and Rukia's burns.

"... oh."

As Ichigo told her about what had happened, Rukia hung back a little, pressing the ice to her aching arm harder; it was hurting more and more, now that Ichigo wasn't taking her attention off of the pain. Instead, he was grinning and laughing as Misa asked him if he was all right; she took his hands and frowned as he shifted uncomfortably under her touch. Rukia sighed and sat down at the table, taking the food that Ishida-san offered her.

But, as she watched Ichigo and Misa, she knew that, even if he did love some other girl, he was becoming a Shinigami just for her, and he loved her. Even if it was only the kind of love a brother would carry for a sister, he still loved her.

And he'd loved _her_ first.

* * *

_Hmm..._ first off, SORRY! it took so long to get this chapter out. I was half done with it, and then **bam**, life bit me in the butt. Lol! But I liked writing this, and even if I didn't get the misunderstanding resolved, we're one step closer, and Ichigo has shown some sort of feelings toward Rukia.

**NOTE: **... about the poll in my profile. I am surprised at the current results! Shadows in the Night is in last place with only 2 votes, and Concrete Angel and this story, Far Away, are tied for first at 12 votes. What was **_most_** surprising, however, was that Whispers in Your Heart and Before the Rain are tied for second at 5 votes. WIYH I can understand... but Before the Rain? That was one of my first, and I thought people didn't like it...

O.o

**_Please Review!_**


	9. A New Beginning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Nine**

**_December 30th, 2002 —Soul Society, Rukongai — 9:22 AM_**

Rukia smiled all morning, but her eyes seemed void of life... and Ichigo knew he was the problem. She'd overheard him saying to Misa that he loved her, and she didn't feel the same way. She _couldn't_ feel the same way, or she would be so broken up inside.

He sighed; he couldn't stand this. She smiled and laughed with him, and with Misa, but she didn't once look at him with that same light in her eyes.

"Oi, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Huh?"

He looked up, his amber eyes opening as he folded his hands in his lap, and met Misa's gaze; her hands were on her hips and her lips were firmly set as she all but glared at him.

"Rukia's upset about something. She won't barely look at me. She probably thinks that, since you've been spending too much time with me, that you love _me_ and not her. Go talk to her, or she'll probably grow further and further away from you."

"She _knows_ I love her. She overheard us."

His reply was quick and, once he'd finished speaking, he turned his head to the side and wouldn't look at his friend. Misa gaped at him for a few seconds, then drew in a breath; Rukia knew that Ichigo loved her, and _that_ was the reason that she wouldn't pay him any attention? _Because_ he loved her?

That couldn't be right. Anyone who looked close enough could see that both Ichigo and Rukia loved each other deeply. And, even _if _she was wrong, and she _never _was, they were good enough friends to move past any complications in their relationship.

And so, Misa continued to muse as she walked out of the room to find Rukia and throughly question her.

Misa sighed. It didn't make sense. If Rukia had overheard her talking to Ichigo, she knew that he loved her. She loved him, so _why _was she acting this way? Unless...

_"So... what are you going to say, Kurosaki-kun?"_

_Ichigo paused and shrugged. He ran a hand through his bright orange hair and then looked over at Misa, the pain-in-the-butt girl who was trying to _force_ him to admit his love to Rukia._

_"... I love you," he finally replied, sighing deeply and shrugging again. "I guess. I mean... probably outright like that."_

_Misa laughed. "Well, my father always did teach me to say things as they are.__"_

Oh, God.

_Did Rukia only overheard the part where Kurosaki-kun said "I love you"?_ Misa thought, quickly walking back to where Ichigo was sulking. _Does she think that Ichigo loves _me_?!"_

"Kurosaki-kun!"

She screeched to a halt in front of the orange-haired boy and he looked up again, sighing and rolling his eyes in annoyance. She had interrupted his uninterrupted sulking twice in as many minutes.

"What?" he snapped, harder than he mean to. Misa looked slightly shocked for a second, then threw it off as part of his Rukia-is-ignoring-me-so-I'm-not-very-pleasant-right-now attitude.

"Rukia thinks _you_ love _me_, and not _her _because she didn't overhear everything we said, just a little bit. I mean... at least I think so. But it's the only explanation! She loves you, so why would she be upset unless she thought that _you_ loved _someone else_?"

Misa barely paused to take a breath.

"It makes sense. I mean... she said she overheard us, right?"

She didn't wait for an answer. Her eyes were glowing happily and she was almost bouncing up and down. Ichigo watched on, confusion on his face as he stared at his new friend. He didn't dare even hope that Rukia loved him back at this point.

"You need to go talk to her. Tell her the truth... that you love _her_. If you don't, she's just going to go on believing that you love me... and you don't. Please don't let her move on and forget you! I know you two love each other so much, so don't let that go to waste!"

"I... she..." he didn't know how to respond. "I don't want to be hurt again..." he whispered, his eyes downcast.

"Come _on_, Ichigo," Misa urged, sitting down beside him on the couch and poking his cheek. He looked up and even managed a tiny glare. "You won't be hurt. Rukia _does_ love you. She misunderstood us, and she needs to know the truth."

"I... no."

"Ichigo—"

"No, Misa!" he said loudly, standing to his feet and clenching his fingers into fists. "Just no! I don't want to get hurt when she tells me she doesn't feel the same!"

"But..."

"I don't want to hurt Rukia more than I already have... so I can't tell her that _I love her_!"

His voice was full of pain; she could hear his words choking as he dropped back down, his head in his hands. His eyes were clenched shut, and she could almost feel the emotion he was trying to hold back.

"I-Ichigo..."

But the voice that spoke wasn't Misa's.

**_Five Minutes Earlier_**

Rukia sighed deeply and shoved the last article of clothing that Ishida-san had given her into the bag she was borrowing. They—her and Ichigo—were leaving in less than an hour, and he had softly told her to go pack only minutes before. He hadn't met her eyes; he seemed upset.

After tying the cloth bag shut, she sat it down on the bed she'd been sleeping in for the last few days and bent down to roll up Ichigo's blanket.

She didn't even realize she her hands were shaking as she gathered the soft cloth up into her arms and laid her head tiredly on it; the warm, green quilt smelled like Ichigo, and she breathed it in deeply.

"Get a hold of yourself," she whispered, standing to her feet again as she folded the quilt. It was laid gently on her bed as small fingers clasped the small bag that held everything she would need.

Taking one last look at the warm, cozy room that had been home for the past few days, she closed the door without regrets. It had been in that room that she had found out that Ichigo didn't love her, and she would gladly never look back on it again.

"... and she needs to know the truth."

"I... no"

"Ichigo—"

"No, Misa!"

Rukia paused for a second when she heard Misa's annoyed voice, and Ichigo's angry one. She flinched a little as he yelled; she hadn't heard him mad in a long time. He always tried to present himself calm around others, and never yelled. But now... his voice was high, but it was also full of pain.

"No, Misa! Just no! I don't want to get hurt when she tells me she doesn't feel the same!"

Rukia was confused now. But Ichigo loved _Misa_. He already knew she felt the same, but—

"I don't want to hurt Rukia more than I already have... so I can't tell her that _I love her_!"

She froze in her steps, and she could have sworn that her heart had skipped a beat or two. Ichigo's words washed over her, and before she knew what she was doing, her bag had dropped to the floor and she was walking into the room.

"I-Ichigo..."

His head snapped around and his eyes grew wide when he saw her. He paled considerably, and he could feel his heart clenching painfully in his chest. He'd never meant for her to hear that.

"Rukia..."

Somehow, Misa had managed to silently slip from the room, a grin on her face as she did so. She wasn't needed anymore. Her job was done. Now, it was up to them.

"Ichigo..."

"Rukia."

"Um..."

"I really didn't want you to overhear that," Ichigo mumbled, shuffling his feet back and forth on the ground. He sighed and didn't meet her gaze; if he had, he would have seen the hope and love that they held. "But it's true. You already knew, I guess... I just didn't... uh... I'm not making much sense, huh?"

His eyes, which were cast downward, flew open wide when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him. He didn't move for several seconds, afraid that, if he did, she would disappear, and he would be alone again.

"Rukia... ?"

"Idiot... you're such an idiot," she mumbled, holding him tighter, her tiny hands gripping the cloth of his sweater as he finally wrapped his arms around her in return. "Idiot... stupid... baka..."

He would have laughed if he hadn't realized, at that moment, that she was crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling back a little and wiping her tears away with the pad of his thumb. She grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek, closing her eyes and basking in the warmth he offered.

"Rukia...?"

"Idiot," she whispered, wiping her tears away once again. "You're so stupid."

Ichigo rolled his eyes as she continued to hold his hand. "I get it, but why—"

"I love you, too, you idiot."

There it was. Her soft voice, whispering the words he had been hoping to hear but knowing he wouldn't be able to, actually meaning the words she said. He felt himself smile as he pulled her closer and gently pressed his lips to hers. She responded, letting her violet eyes close as she melted into the kiss. It was so different than the peck on the lips he'd given her so many years ago. This time, it was filled with his feelings, and her hands were shaking as he finally pulled away.

Neither of them said a word; instead, they stared deeply into each others eyes, needing to see the love there... to be reassured that it was real and that it wasn't going away.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding," Ichigo said, grinning as Rukia smiled.

"I was just being stupid," she mumbled, having the grace to blush over her childish actions. "Even if you loved someone else, I didn't have the right to pout like that and ignore you. I was being stupid."

Ichigo's grin grew.

"Then stay stupid, please. I don't want a girlfriend who willingly lets other girls have me."

"Girlfriend?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Ichigo said happily. "I said I love you, right? That means I can be your boyfriend. Or does that not make sense? _Should I go slower_?"

Rukia pouted, then smirked, then kicked him in the shin.

Hard.

"Ouch! Damn it, woman!" he roared, grumbling a few choice words under his breath. Rukia laughed loudly as he hopped around the room in pain, and Misa smiled happily from her spot behind the door—no, of course she hadn't been ease-dropping!—before walking away.

Everything would be fine now.

**_January 2nd, 2003 —Soul Society, Shinigami Accademy — 2:03 PM_**

_Three Days Later_

Ichigo yawned deeply and stuck his feet up on the desk before him. The wind was howling outside, and Rukia was pacing around the room; she was nervous about her test results. Ichigo just simply didn't care. He knew that they'd made it for sure; Rukia just liked to worry about every tiny detail.

"I think I might have failed the written test... I wasn't sure about questions five, nine and fifteen. I did fine on the Kido test, but the—"

"Rukia! Sit!" Ichigo ordered, grinding his teeth together. Rukia's violet eyes widened before she dropped down into the empty seat beside him. Ichigo nodded happily.

"That's bett—"

"Ooh! I'm gonna fail!"

It had taken her less than three seconds to begin pacing again. Ichigo, who was beginning to see marks of the hole she was _pacing in the floor_, was just about to strangle her when the door opened and a strict-looking man walked in. Rukia dropped into her seat once again and folded her hands in her lap.

"Kurosaki-kun, Rukia-san... "

Rukia was biting her lip so hard that it was almost bleeding. Ichigo noticed and reached over, gently taking her hand; somehow, she found comfort in the small touch and relaxed a little.

"... your tests were almost perfect, with the exception of Kurosaki-kun utterly failing the Kido section."

Ichigo winced.

Oops.

"But, since the rest of his skills were perfect, we decided that he would just have to take extra Kido classes until he catches up. You're both in."

"_Yes_!"

Ichigo jumped up happily, and Rukia shoulders slumped, as if a huge weight had been lifted off of them. The teacher smiled.

"You start in the morning. Dorm rooms will be assigned to you, as both of your applications said you had no family nearby. Your class schedules..." he paused and shuffled through his papers, then cursed quietly. "Damn. I forgot them. Sorry, Kurosaki-kun, Rukia-san—I'll be right back."

He stood from the chair behind his desk and walked out of the room. Before the door had even shut, Rukia was jumping up and hugging Ichigo. His amber eyes were wide, and he was just barely able to keep his balance as she hugged the stuffing out of him.

"We made it!"

He smiled.

"Yeah, we did, huh?"

And then, she kissed him. He was surprised, to say the least. Even though they had both admitted their love for one another only a few days ago, neither had been to open about it, and displays of affection were even more rare. When she pulled back from the feather-soft kiss, her eyes were sparkling happily.

"We _both_ made it," she whispered. "We'll never have to be apart, this way."

"Well, I don't think the teachers would like it if I started sneaking into your bed in the middle of the night..."

She frowned and hit him over the head; he didn't even complain at the soft touch.

"Quit being perverted!" she screeched, messing up his hair before turning around, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I wasn't even _thinking_ that! _You're_ the one who's perverted!" he yelled back, pouting the smallest bit as he tried to pat his hair back into place. Then, seeing that Rukia was ignoring him, he backed up a few steps and ran forward—straight toward her. She turned around just in time to see him coming and screeched loudly.

And that's the position they were in as the teacher walked inside. Rukia was being squished beneath Ichigo, and both were flushed from yelling, screaming and tackling.

"Um... need I remind you of the "No private or public displays of affection on campus" rules?" the teacher asked, trying to keep a light smile off of his lips.

"No, sir!" Rukia said, grinning as she stood to her feet and ran her fingers through her hair. The teacher raised an eyebrow as Ichigo stood as well and poke the side of Rukia's head before sitting again.

He shook his head and continued.

"Fine. Here are your schedules," he said, handing them each a piece of paper. "And your uniforms will be in your dorms. The girls dorms are to the left of the dorm building, and the boy's to the right. If you have questions, bring them to either me or my assistant, Abe Hikaru. By the way, I'm Lei Kashino. And... that's all for now. You can go get settled in and get some sleep before your first day tomorrow. Dismissed."

Ichigo and Rukia both stood quickly and bowed before exiting the room. As soon as the door closed them, Rukia squeaked—something that Ichigo thought was impossible—and began running.

"Ya... _hooooo_!"

He raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and followed her.

"By the way!" she yelled from ahead of him. "Do you suppose that the dorms are considered part of the campus?"

"Uh..." Ichigo paused and shrugged. "I think so... why? Or should I even ask?"

Rukia laughed and twirled in a circle. Soon, Ichigo was smiling, too. It'd been too long since he'd seen her this happy. It felt good to hear her laughter and her happy voice.

Maybe... maybe they were exactly where they should be.

* * *

_Well_, that took half of forever to finish. Also, at this point, the story is about half done. It's gonna be about 18 chapters in all. I think.

_**Please Review! **(Probably won't have time to reply, but please know you're **loved**!!!)_


	10. Mine For Eternity

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Ten**

**_January 3rd, 2003 —Soul Society, Shinigami Academy — 7:28 AM_**

"Oi! Rukia, get the hell up!"

At the sound of Ichigo's voice outside her door—and his very loud, very annoying pounding—Rukia bolted up straight in her bed, her violet eyes wide and sleepy as she turned to look at the clock beside her bed.

"Ah, damn!"

In less than three seconds, she was stumbling around the new room in all her pajama'd glory, searching for her uniform, her shoes, and most importantly, her brand new school books. Books, books, books... she couldn't leave without her books!

Books...

Ah, ha! There they were... under her schedule papers!

"Rukia! C'mon, we're gonna be late! And damn, I'm not even supposed to be in the girl's dorms, so hurry the hell up before I get caught!"

"Sh-shut up!" she yelled back, the sleepiness lacing her voice as she finally found—and pulled on—her red and white kimono. In a flurry of papers, she grabbed her books, pulled open her door, and grinned into the annoyed face of Ichigo.

He just blinked.

"Rukia, you look like crap," he informed her kindly, grinning and grabbing her hand before he started running like a mad man. "But we gotta go! Our first class starts in two minutes."

"And which class would that be?

The rounded another corner, their feet pounding on the hard floor as they ran, hoping desperately that they wouldn't be late on their first day.

"Just all that basic Shinigami crap. Nothing too hard."

"..."

"That is... I hope."

Rukia grinned, letting the wind blow through her hair as they reached the outside air. The sun was shining on the snow that was spread thickly across the ground. And, even though her feet were cold from running through that snow, she was happy.

For the first time in her life, she belonged somewhere.

But, unfortunately, even if you_ did_ belong somewhere, being late still got you in trouble.

"This is not going to look good on your records, Kurosaki-kun, Rukia-san!" the teacher fumed, slapping a few papers in their hands and pointing to their seats. "And since you two were late, I'm letting you hand out the rest of these!"

A large stack of work sheets was dropped into their hands. Heaving a huge sigh, Ichigo began passing them out. Rukia just grinned and bounced around the room. Ichigo rolled his eyes, and, as soon as he was done passing his papers out, he dropped down into an empty seat.

Rukia took one on the other side of the room.

"Right," the teacher began, pushing his glasses further up on his nose as he turned toward the blackboard. "Today, we'll begin by talking about the History of Shinigami. The first Shinigami..."

Ichigo sighed and dropped his head onto his desk.

This... this was going to be a long day.

**_10:13_**

"Since _when _did _any _classes _ever_ last over two and a half hours?" Ichigo asked, slightly annoyed as he stretched and attempted to pop his back. Rukia just shrugged and moved closer to him, trying to avoid all the staring that was directed their way.

Ichigo ruffled her hair and grinned.

"C'mon, they're only staring 'cause we're new."

"I still don't like it," she said, pouting as she hugged her books to her chest, her eyes cast toward the ground as they walked. Their next class started in a little less than twenty minutes, and she was already ready to go back to her room and hide in a corner for a while.

Ichigo noticed and grabbed her hand, hauling her away from everyone. She stared up, curious, into his eyes.

"Hey, don't mind them. They don't know why we're here, and why we suddenly started in the middle of the year. No one here knows the crappy life we lived up until now... I bet most everyone here left family or friends behind, and don't even _want_ to be here. Besides... you were grinning and excited this morning. What changed?"

Rukia laid her head on his chest and shrugged again, sighing deeply. Ichigo wrapped his arms around her, glancing around to make sure they were alone. They had already been late... they didn't need another black mark on their record for displays of affection.

"Everyone stared at me during class... and you were so far away..."

He smiled gently and placed his hand on her head, moving so she was staring into his eyes. It made a little more sense now.

"I don't like being around all these people... I'm used to just being around you... you don't stare at me like _that_."

"Like what?" Ichigo asked, blinking a few times. "Whatcha mean?"

"Like I'm unimportant. I don't know why I'm letting it bother me. I just... everything that's happened, with Misa-san and all... I don't know... I just keep feeling like I'm not important at all," she whispered, pulling away and beginning to walk off. "Forget it. I'm just being stupid."

Ichigo grabbed her hand and pulled her back. When she looked into his eyes, she could tell he was completely serious.

"Rukia, you _are_ important. Frankly, I don't care if you seem important to all these people. But you're important to _me_. They can think whatever they want, and it's their loss."

He caught the tiny flicker of a smile that came to her lips before she turned away again.

"Sorry," she mumbled, not mentioning his previous words, "for bring emotional. I always get emotional like this... my period is supposed to start soon, you know."

Ichigo's face flamed.

"Too much information, you midget!"

"Well, you're the one who _forced_ me to tell you about it when we were thirteen, baka!"

And with a kick to the shin and a few curse words, they were back to normal. Rukia's extremely emotional status was gone as quick as it had come, and Ichigo was wishing that she wasn't so damn moody around "that time of month".

She smirked at him and began to walk off, but before she got far, he reached out and gently wrapped his fingers around her thin arm.

"Hey, c'mere."

"Hmm?"

Her eyes went wide when he suddenly pulled her close to him and lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. They slowly fluttered closed, however, as she melted into his arms. When he finally pulled back, he smirked.

"Feeling better?"

She just laid her head on his chest and took a deep breath in. She knew that, come class time, this comfort would be gone and she would be on her own, without a friend by her side. She and Ichigo shared only one other class, and that was later in the day.

She was about to reply to his question when the bell rang. She bit her lip.

"Well, I'll see you later, I suppose."

Ichigo nodded, unwrapping his arms from around her. She began to walk off in the opposite direction as him, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Maybe coming here hadn't been such a wonderful idea. But, even if they were in a place where they knew only each other, someday, they would be a part of something—and maybe _that _was worth everything.

"Ya know, I could report you."

Ichigo whirled around, his amber eyes wide as the voice spoke. He came face to face with a kid about his age; brown eyes stared, amused, into his own and a tall, lanky body was leaning up against the wall.

"Although, I have to say... that was a pretty sweet scene. I've gotta admit; you've got a pretty hot girl there."

Ichigo glared randomly.

"Who the hell are you? And don't even think of touching Rukia."

The other boy laughed, pulled himself away from the wall, and stuffed his hands into his pockets before walking off in the direction of the classrooms; the warning bell was ringing again.

"The names Abarai Renji. Don't get on my bad side, or I could get you and your little friend in a whole world of trouble."

Not another word was spoken by the red-haired boy as he continued to walk off. Ichigo stomped after him, not necessarily following the boy, but instead walking to the class that they, as luck would have it, _shared_. The extra Kido classes, which ended up consisting of simple, easy enough for _beginning_ beginners Kido, was small—consisting of only six students. Frankly, Ichigo found it insanely boring, and the fact that he ended up blowing two text books to pieces _didn't_ raise his opinion of the class.

"Kurosaki, the reason you are blowing things up is because you _suck_," the red-haired kid, Renji, kindly informed him, biting his own lip in concentration as he began to chant the spell to form a small ball of light in his hand.

But, instead of a simple text book blowing to a million and a half pieces... the whole chalkboard exploded, knocking the teacher of the class forward several feet, knocking his glasses off and leaving a very, very stunned look on his face.

Ichigo smirked.

"You were saying, Abarai?"

"... nothing."

Ichigo's smirk grew.

"That's _exactly_ what I thought."

**_10:45 AM_**

Rukia sighed deeply and dropped her head into her hands. All around her, teens and young adults were deep in concentration, trying to form—and throw—a ball of fire in their hands... without burning themselves. She'd finished five minutes into the class, and had been sent to sit down and observe.

"C-can you h-help me?"

Rukia looked up, surprised, to see a small girl in front of her. Dark black hair framed the small, pale face and scared, brown eyes stared into her own.

"With what?" Rukia asked, managing a small smile. The girl nervously clasped her hands together.

"W-with my k-kido..."

Rukia smiled and nodded, then stood up.

"Here, try, and let me see what you're doing wrong."

The little girl, who couldn't have been much younger than Rukia herself, bit her lip, then began slowly chanting the incantation that would form the fireball. As soon as it was in one piece, the girl winced and dropped it. It blew out before hitting the floor. Rukia smiled and nodded.

"Well, you formed it wonderfully... you just keep burning yourself. Here..."

She took the girl's hand into her own, placed her free hand over it, and whispered something under her breath. The slightly burnt, bright red skin was a light pink in no time; the burns were completely gone.

"Here's what you have to do..."

Finally, after several tries, and several more incantations on Rukia's part to heal the young girl's burnt hands, she had the fireball successfully hovering over her palm, burning and crackling.

"Yay! I did it!" she said happily, her cheeks flushed with happiness; her nervous stutter seemed to have disappeared as she grew more comfortable around her new friend.

Rukia just smiled.

"Oh," she said, turning around and snapping her fingers; the fireball disappeared in a second. "My name is Hinamori Momo!"

"I'm Rukia-san."

"Oh. Hey, Rukia-san, don't you have a family name?" Hinamori asked curiously, perching on the side of the desk that Rukia shared with several other students.

"No," Rukia replied softly, looking down at her hands. "I died before I was old enough to remember my family. I'm from Rukongai."

"O-oh. Well, then I'll just call you Rukia-san. Hey, can we be friends?"

Rukia smiled, a real smile, for almost the first time that day. "Friends? I'd... I'd like that."

**_11:02 AM_**

"What's next?"

"I haven't the slightest clue."

"Well, didn't you look at your schedule?"

"No..."

"Well, you should have!"

"Well, _you've _been at this school for a whole year! You should know what's next! And anyways, why would our next class even be together? The only reason we were in the same class before is because you royally _suck_ at Kido!"

Red glared at orange, and both boys clenched their fists. Passersby looked on curiously, and several sighs and laughs were heard from around them.

"_Fine_. I'll run halfway through campus, up three flights of stairs, grab my schedule, and run all the way back all in _eight minutes_ because you're a stupid idiot!" Ichigo yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. Renji blinked a few times, then laughed. While Ichigo was busy glaring, a thought struck him. "Oh. Or... I could ask Rukia... she'd know."

"Ah!" Renji said, grinning. "Would she know my classes, too?"

"Not likely."

Renji sighed deeply, and while he was wallowing in his self-annoyance, Ichigo slipped away and ran toward Rukia's class; she was more than likely already out, but she had probably hung aound...

Ah ha! There she was.

"Rukia..."

He trailed off when he saw her smiling and laughing with a girl that seemed to be about her age. They were walking together, and both of them were trying to avoid everyone else who was walking about.

He was about to walk off and leave her alone with her new friend when she turned around and saw him; her eyes lit up, and she waved happily, grabbing the hand of the girl beside her and running over.

"Ichigo! How was class? Oh! I want you to meet someone. Ichigo, this is Hinamori-san. Hinamori-san, this is Kurosaki Ichigo, the guy I was telling you about."

"H-hi, Kurosaki-kun!" Hinamori-san said, managing a small smile as she stuck out a shaking, nervous hand. Ichigo gripped it firmly, smirking. Rukia smiled up at Ichigo as Hinamori stood back again, looking a tiny bit less nervous.

Then, Ichigo got straight to the point.

"Rukia, what is my—"

But Hinamori beat him there.

"Rukia-san, is he your boyfriend?"

Rukia coughed a little, then nodded. Ichigo sighed and scraped his foot across the hard ground. His blue and white uniform was blowing in the wind as he sighed and waited for Rukia's reply. _Then_ he'd interrupt her and figure out what his next class was.

"Yeah..." Rukia said slowly. "He is. Although he doesn't act like it often."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ichigo said, waving his hands quickly. The warning bell was starting to ring. "Rukia! Help! What's my next class?"

She sighed. "The History of Shinigami and Kido... you've been to those, next is our Physical Skills class. We'll be in the same place because we're in the same year, and—"

"Thanks! Goodbye!"

Giving her a brief wave, he bolted.

Rukia sighed for what seemed the fifth time in as many minutes. Hinamori just giggled.

"He's funny."

"He's also a proud, sometimes selfish, and a pain in the butt."

"Yeah, but you love him, right?" Hinamori asked innocently, walking in the same direction as Rukia; she, too, was in her first year, and thus would be in the same class.

"Yeah, I do. Although... I'm not exactly sure why."

They both laughed as they entered the changing room and went to their respective clothing boxes. The boxes were made out of a light, smooth wood. Eight were stacked on top of each other, and there were ten rows; eighty boxes in total. They each held a clean, white shirt and a pair of red shorts, and whatever else the owner of the box chose to put in it.

Rukia picked hers up and started changing as the door flew open and many, many other girls crowded in; the final bell had rung.

**_3:23 PM_**

School was over for the day, and Ichigo could safely say that he hated it. In the Basic Knowledge class, he had sucked for sure. Most of the people that didn't come from Rukongai had knowledge of reading, writing and working with numbers—they had been able to go to some sort of school for several years. But he and Rukia both knew only the basics; neither could read or write very well, and Ichigo was the only one good with numbers.

In the Zanpaktou Skills class, in which they were only given wooden swords to begin with, he had risen to the top of the class in half an hour, and Rukia had done fairly well, too.

But he still hated it.

Then again... they had been given both a warm, cozy place to stay and hope for the future.

So... all in all, it was fine.

Sighing, he fell back onto his bed and felt a smile come to his face. The thick, plain blue quilt was the warmest thing he'd ever owned. Well, he didn't actually _own_ it, since as soon as he left, his room and his quilt would go to another kid.

But still.

He was snapped from his thoughts when there was a soft knock on the door. Curious, he stood to his feet and walked over, pulling it open only a few inches.

"Can I come in?" It was Rukia on the other side, and she was looking around nervously, not wanting to get caught. "I'm in enough trouble already, what with being late twice today."

Ichigo smirked.

"I seem to remember _someone_ having left me outside the door in the girl's dorms this morning for ten minutes."

"I was sleeping!" she said, violet eyes not amused as she planted her hands on her hips and glared. "Besides, there had better not be any other girls that you'd wait outside the door for."

"And what if there are?" Ichigo asked, walking outside and leaning up against the door, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes sparkling as Rukia sighed.

"If there are... then... then... Bah! Just let me in!" she exploded, growling dangerously. Ichigo laughed and opened the door again. As he was about to block the doorway just to annoy Rukia up more, he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye; he gasped, realizing who is was. Grabbing Rukia's arm, he hauled her inside his room and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Hey! Kurosaki, is that you?"

The voice on the other side of the door was Renji's. Ichigo cursed under his breath.

"Ah... yeah."

"Awesome. Can I come in? I didn't know you were on this floor. Hey! I'm only a few doors down—"

"Go away! I need to finish my homework."

"... we didn't get homework today."

"Well, maybe you didn't," Ichigo said quickly, mentally slapping himself for his mistake—he actually _hadn't_ gotten any homework, with it being his first day and all. So, biting his lip, he continued. "I got some homework from my History class. Shoo! Leave me alone."

"Wow, what crawled up your ass and died?"

"Go die!"

"Fine! Be that way."

He stomped off and Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief as he took his hand away from Rukia's mouth.

"Who was that?" she asked curiously, walking around his room.

"Abarai Renji, he's—"

"A second year student. I know, I know."

"You do?" Ichigo asked curiously, sitting on his bed and watching as she began to poke through his currently empty closet. She stuck her head out, grinning.

"Wow, your closet is bigger than mine. And yeah! Renji-kun is talked about among all the girls. He's popular in the locker room! The girls say he's good looking, and that he's good in bed. Apparently, he's been with a good half of the girls in the second year. The girls say that he's an animal."

Ichigo's eyes grew dark as he stood up and walked over to Rukia. She was still in the closet, and as he came in, she looked up curiously at him, her violet eyes searching his face. He stared back at her, amber gaze burning. His hands held her wrists tightly.

She mumbled, "Ichigo? What's wron—"

He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers in a rough kiss. She was pressed back against the closet wall, and he held her there tightly as he silently deepened the kiss, their tongues meeting in a fierce, almost needy, battle. Her heart was beating fast in her chest; they'd only kissed a few times... but _never_ like this. It was rough, hard... and somehow... _possessive_. It was like he was claiming her.

And then his lips went to her neck. She gasped, her violet eyes going wide. Her breath was hot on his ear as he licked the soft, smooth skin of her neck. He'd finally let go of her wrists, and now, her hands were grasping his shirt, holding tight.

"I-Ichigo?" she questioned, her voice a breathy whisper. He didn't say anything back, and simply ran his lips up her neck, gently nibbling on her ear before descending again to her neck.

His teeth gently grazed her skin for a second before he bit down on her neck, drawing a diny drop of blood, which he gently licked away. Rukia gasped from the sudden pain, then looked up into Ichigo's eyes as he stared down at her. He kissed her once more, gently this time, and backed up a few steps. His eyes were a little bit hazy, but it did nothing to hide the raw emotion there: possessiveness.

"You're mine, understand?" he whispered into her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin as she tried to calm her breathing and her wild heartbeat. "Stay away from Renji. You're mine..."

He trailed off and kissed her again before turning his back and walking out. Rukia, who was too stunned at Ichigo's words, just stood there, her fingers eventually moving up to touch her lips. She walked slowly out of the dark closet to see Ichigo leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed.

"I understand," she whispered, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek before walking to the door. He didn't open his eyes, or even move, but she could see the tiny flicker of a smile that passed over his lips as she closed the door. She smiled a small, soft smile of her own and began walking down the hall, carefully and quietly.

"Hey there, Beautiful. Girl's aren't supposed to be in here, ya know."

She gasped sharply when a hand was laid on her shoulder, preventing her from moving. When she turned around, she came face to face with none other than...

...Abarai Renji.

* * *

**Evil** I am. I do not deny it. Guilty as charged. SORRY it took so long to get this out. But this is about **four thousand words**. O.O

**_—ALSO: I have a question—_**

Why do people drop stories just because the author takes a while to update? This is the only story it's ever happened on. All my others were updated quick, because this is my first attempt at a story during college.

But I have proof. I've lost about four reviewers with each of the past chapters (A total of about fourteen reviewers lost in the last three chapters). My hit count has also dropped a_ hundred_ each for the last three chapters. I'm not complaining **by any means**—I have some wonderful, wonderful people reading and commenting on my work. I'm just curious why people can't be patient for an update to what I _hope_ is a good story. Some people do have a life. I am, sadly, one of them. Anyway...

_**Please Review! **(I love you all, even those who don't leave their thoughts. But for those who are willing to spend a minute or two to help me out with this story... **Thanks a million and a half.**)_


	11. Finding The Lost

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Eleven**

**_January 3rd, 2003 —Soul Society, Shinigami Academy —_****_3:45 PM_**

When she turned around, she came face to face with none other than...

...Abarai Renji.

He was smiling and his brown eyes sparkled; her heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously tried to tug her hand out of his grasp. She suddenly felt nervous in the halls of the boys dorms, and she cast her gaze toward Ichigo's closed door, as if her worried eyes would bring the orange-haired boy out of him room.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya," Renji said, laughing and letting her hand go, placing his own hands in the air. "Just wanted to welcome ya here, ya know... in the boys dorms..."

Rukia glared.

"Or not?"

"Not," Rukia confirmed, turning her back on him and beginning to walk down the stairs. Thank goodness the halls were almost empty; with how loud Renji pounded down the steps behind her, he would have brought the attention of the whole school down on them.

"Hey! Hold up! I just wanna talk."

Rukia continued on without saying a word, Ichigo's previous words echoing in her head.

_"Stay away from Renji. You're mine..."_

He'd somehow seemed... scary. She wasn't sure she wanted to go against him by getting near the red-haired teen, but then again, making another friend might not be a bad idea. So, she stopped walking and turned around, sighing.

"_Fine_. What do you want to say?" she snapped, an amused look in her eyes as he blinked a few times, surprised.

"Um... nothing in particular. Just everything in general."

Rukia rolled her eyes and continued walking. Before she had even taken a step, though, he grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall. Her violet eyes were wide and even a trace of fear could be seen in them.

"Stay still will ya?" he growled, brown eyes staring into violet. She struggled under his grasp, trying not to meet his eyes as he leaned down and kissed her neck, his lips rough against her skin; she struggled more.

"Let me go!" she yelled, jerking her head away from him, her violet eyes wide as she began to struggle again; she needed to get away _now_. He laughed against her neck, then pulled back, his face dangerously close to hers.

"Why? Hey, I think you're pretty cute. Wanna go out with me?"

"And by "go out" you mean "sleep with", right?" she asked, seriously considering raising her knee about half a foot and crushing his—

Her thoughts were interrupted by Renji's reply.

"Of course."

"Even if I didn't have a boyfriend," she started, finally tugging her arm out of his grasp before mustering all her strength and kneeing him in his middle section. "I would never even consider sleeping with such an egotistical, annoying, persistent _player_."

He was moaning in pain and gripping the part of his body that most women went after as Rukia ran off. She was smiling smugly as she darted out of the boys dorms and into the sunlight; even though snow still thickly covered the ground, the sun was warming the frigid air.

"Oi! _Rukia_!"

She spun around, not quite recognizing the loud voice and half wishing it was Renji so she could kick him again, to see Ichigo, out of breath and leaning against the doorway. She smiled a little bit. When she'd left him, he had seemed like he was holding himself back. Now... he seemed completely different. The air around them was much lighter.

She hugged her arms to her chest and let the wind blow her dark, raven hair around her face as she stuck a small strand behind her ear. She stared ahead, barely able to make out the figure in the doorway so far away; the orange hair, though, she could have recognized from a million miles away.

"Hmm?" she finally responded quietly; she was sure he didn't hear.

But he had.

"I want you to meet me at the fountain at eight tonight!"

She found herself laughing before she could stop. She could imagine his confused—or even surprised—look as she finally stopped giggling.

"You just ran down three flights of stairs to tell me that?"

"Uh... yeah?"

Her violet eyes danced with amusement as she turned and began walking off with a small wave, not responding verbally—but he knew she'd be there.

She always came when he asked.

**_8:03 PM_**

"You're late," Rukia said quietly, smirking as Ichigo darted behind the fountain with her. Water flew up in the air, shooting from several holes in the bottom of the gray, concrete fountain. It fell back into the fountain with a splash, and even more flew out; it was a beautiful, never-ending cycle, and as each drop fell slowly back into the sparkling, shimmering pool, the moon lit it up, sending rainbow colored shadows onto the faces of the two people standing beside it.

"Only by three minutes," he responded, then took her hand and pulled her behind a large, white fence; she breathed onto the winter roses that climbed up the fence as a teacher ran by, cursing.

"You're forgiven," she said, realizing exactly _why_ he had been late.

"Can you forgive me for something else?"

"For what?" Rukia asked, a little uneasy as she stared into Ichigo's amber eyes, and he stared back into her violet ones. 

"For this."

His voice was low and breathy as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently. Her eyes went wide in surprise, but she soon relaxed; his kiss was totally different than it had been before. His lips were soft on hers, and his fingers gently danced over her ams; the way he wasn't holding her said that she could run away—if she wanted.

But she didn't.

Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer; their position was awkward, because he was so much taller, but she found herself not caring as he took her move as encouragement and deepened the kiss, opening her mouth to him and pressing her against the wall.

Finally, he pulled back; in the shadows from the fountain, he could see her flushed, pink face. She was pressed up against the wall of the library, her raven hair a mess.

"I sorry about earlier," he whispered, resting his forehead on hers. "I don't want to push you away. I just... I don't want to lose you."

"Ichigo..."

"I will only get sentimental once a year, so listen closely!" he snapped, a tiny blush on his cheeks as he looked away.

Rukia stifled a laugh, but nodded.

"We're around so many people now. So many other guys—like Renji—will always be around you in class, and I can't always be there. I'm just afraid of losing you, right after I told you how I feel. The whole time you were hurt, and then the thing with Misa-san... coming here so soon after all that wasn't such a good idea. Just... stay close, all right?"

Rukia nodded and laid her head on his chest; he wrapped his arms around her, and they stayed like that for a long while.

"Oh, and by the way..."

Ichigo pulled back the smallest bit to look into her eyes. He didn't like the smirk he saw dancing on her lips, or the amusement in her eyes.

"You lie. You've _never_ said anything that sweet before, or at least not in the last year..."

"Yeah, I did!" Ichigo defended himself, his eyes moving from her gaze. "You just weren't awake."

Rukia's eyes widened in realization, and she poked him in the chest a few times.

"What did you say? Tell me!"

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

She noticed his blush and laughed as she grabbed his hand, hauling him over into the large open area beside the fountain. She squeaked when the water randomly splashed on her, and Ichigo suddenly smirked before grabbing a handful of water and pouring it on Rukia's head.

She sighed, then shrugged.

"Ah, what the hell. I'm already wet," she mumbled, reaching down to pull off her sandals. Ichigo looked on, confused, until she pulled up her kimono so the bottom didn't touch the water.

Then...

... then, she jumped in.

"Rukia?! What the hell!" Ichigo exploded, jumping back as she sent a huge wave of water his way. It pooled around his feet and he growled, slinging off his soaking sandals before grinning widely and jumping in beside her.

"Uwaaa!"

Rukia slipped and slid through the water, but couldn't manage to jump out before Ichigo grabbed her hand. She tried desperately to find her footing, but in the end fell into the water, leaving a laughing Ichigo above her.

Her breaths came in gasps as she struggled to her feet before she started to splash; if she was soaked to the bone, he was gonna be, too.

"Rukia! Stop! Stop it!" Ichigo sputtered, shaking his head to rid his hair of some of the water; it didn't work, for as soon as it was gone, more was there.

"Stop, my foot! Not after you made me fall like that. You, mister, are going to get soaked!"

"I'm already soaked!" he yelled, dodging a rather large splash from her. The fact that the water was so low down for him—only up to his knees—was a rather large disadvantage. Rukia was at least a foot closer to it, and could, therefore, splash bigger.

"You're gonna get it..." he growled dangerously. The happy glint left Rukia's eyes and she backed up a few steps; he was too close...

"Gotcha!"

She screeched loudly, and Ichigo clamped a hand over her mouth as they fell into the water. She fell first, and he landed on top, his hands on either side of her head.

"Ichigo!"

"Hmm?"

His amber eyes stared into hers as she splashed around under him, sputtering water out of her mouth and shaking it out of her hair; but she couldn't stand.

"Get off of me!"

He didn't say anything, and instead of moving, he leaned down and placed his lips on her neck, gently licking the water from her skin. She gasped, her violet eyes wide as his lips moved up to her ear, then her cheek. Water dripped from his orange hair onto her face, but she didn't notice. Her heart was beating wild in her chest as his lips finally came to rest on hers, and she completely forgot about their water fight; the only thing filling her mind was him... the way his lips caressed hers, and the way his hands gently touched her body.

"Ichigo..."

Her voice was breathy and soft as his lips once again left hers to travel down her neck. They lingered on the little bruise he'd left behind earlier that day, then moved down further, kissing the exposed skin where her soaking kimono had slipped down. She heard a small moan leave her lips when his fingers danced over the skin just above her breasts as he pulled the clothing together again.

He kissed her again, then pulled away, his hands gripping her wrists as he pulled her into a sitting position and took her into his arms.

"Don't ever leave me."

"I won't," she whispered, her eyes closing and her head resting on his soaking chest.

He took her hand and was about to help her stand to her feet when the sound of hard, quick footsteps was heard.

"Ah, crap! We've gotta get the hell outta here!" Ichigo yelled in desperation, realizing that the only person running around this late would be a teacher. So, he grabbed Rukia's hand and hauled her out of the water. The footsteps grew closer, and the yelling, screeching voice of the teacher that had been chasing Ichigo earlier followed—they were screwed if they didn't hurry.

Then, Rukia slipped on the ground, her kimono catching under feet. She screeched loudly and fell on the concrete, her eyes wide.

Ichigo groaned, and as he leaned down to help her up, a third figure appeared around the corner.

Oh, yeah.

They were royally screwed.

**_January 4th, 2003 — 6_****_:21 AM_**

"A-a-a-achoo!"

Ichigo handed Rukia a tissue, the frown never leaving his face.

As for Rukia's face... it was a mess. Her eyes were swollen, and her nose was bright red from where she'd been sneezing and and blowing it all morning. Her voice was deep and scratchy.

In a word, she had a cold.

A bad one.

"Ithigo?" she mumbled, reaching over to grab another tissue. "I hate tou."

He smirked.

"Well, you started it. You just get sick easier than I do. I mean... who willing jumps in an almost frozen fountain of water when there's _snow on the ground_. Besides, now isn't a good time to hate me. We're in a crap load of trouble, and it's only our second day here. If anything, you should hate that teacher who caught us, or hate yourself for _getting _us caught."

"I tri... tri... _ACHOO! _... tripped."

Ichigo held in a laugh as he handed her yet another tissue; her little tissue mountain was growing at a steady rate, and it would soon collapse onto the stack of papers that the teacher—who was absent from the room at the moment—was in the middle of grading.

As Rukia was about to sneeze for the millionth time, the door slammed open, and her eyes went wide; the sneeze was gone. She grumbled.

"Both of you! What were you thinking!?"

He sure got straight to the point. No "Good morning!" or "I'm sorry you're not feeling well!" ... just straight to the screaming.

Lei Kashino, the man who had welcomed them to the Shinigami Academy only two days ago, was now fuming and growling. Ichigo winced. This... wasn't good.

"I take that back. You couldn't _possibly_ have been thinking _anything_, or else you would have been out of your dorms an hour past curfew!"

Ichigo winced some more; Rukia just sneezed again.

"You've been here two days, _two days_, and already your record is worse than several of our third year student's! From now on, if I see hide or hair of you two out of your dorms, breaking any of the rules, or even _half a second late_ for class, you will be suspended!"

"_Achoo_!"

"Bless you," Lei responded quietly, dropping down into his seat and eying the tissue mountain that was threatening to fall on him.

"Tank shoe," Rukia replied, sneezing yet again.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and tried to hide a smirk of amusement. Lei continued.

"For now, I find it fit to only give you severe punishment. Suspension now wouldn't look good for the school. Rukia-san, I think your cold is bad enough punishment. It'll have you thinking on what you did for days. But I'd like you to sit out on Physical Education for a week."

Rukia pouted a little bit, but didn't respond. She was quite aware that she was getting off easy.

"And Kurosaki-kun, you will be cleaning the shower room in the boys dorms from head to toe. If I find one streak on the mirror that isn't supposed to be there, you'll clean the girls shower room as well. You also have detention after Physical Education. It will be thirty minutes long, and as soon as it is over, you will have to run to make it to your next class. The half a second late rule still stands."

"But Kashino-kun—"

"No buts! You will take your punishment with a smile, and if you skip out on detention, you will face even worse!"

Ichigo suddenly realized that arguing would be a bad idea, so he snapped his mouth shut and stood to his feet.

"Permission to leave the office, _sir_," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Rukia stood beside him, sneezing once more as Lei nodded. They both walked out.

"I hate you, by the way," Ichigo informed Rukia.

"Hmm? Why?"

She looked up, grinning as she skipped along.

"I want a cold, too. You got off too easy!"

After she sneezed all over him—snot and slime included—he changed his mind and settled for cursing under his breath at anything that looked at him wrong until his first class started.

He sighed and let his head drop onto the table.

Yup. School officially _sucked_.

_**9:22 AM — Soul Society, Seireitei**_

"Captain Byakuya! Urgent letter from Lei Kashino-sama!"

The doors around the small shrine were softly closed, encasing the raven-haired, blue eyed photo of the woman that the sixth division's captain had loved so much. As his fingers dropped from the soft wood, he stood to his feet and walked to the door to find his vice-captain there, bowing and holding out a small, white letter. He took it into his hands.

"You are excused, Vice-captain Makoto."

The doors were closed, and Kuchiki Byakuya opened the letter, his eyes scanning the words quickly.

_Dear Kuchiki-sama,_

_I am writing to inform you that a young woman that looks much like the lady you previously described has entered our academy. She is small, and has raven hair and violet eyes. I am sorry to disturb you, but you asked that I inform you if any such women. She goes by the name "Rukia", yet has no family name. She entered the school with Kurosaki Ichigo. Once again, I am sorry to disturb you. _

_-Lei Kashino_

Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes widened the smallest bit as he quickly read through the letter. After closing and pocketing it, he sat down once more. He turned to the shrine, and directed his words to the picture he knew sat behind the simple doors.

"Is this young lady really your sister... Hisana?"

* * *

_Eeep!_ Byakuya has officially come in! Yay! And sorry this chapter is about a thousand words shorter than the last one. It's only three thousand words.

**NOTE: **Yes, I'm not making Renji out to be the super-duper bad guy in this. I didn't make him very bad, because I'm hoping I can make him, in time, become friends with Rukia.

**NOTE 2: **_O.0 _WOW! My review count almost doubled for the last chapter! I got home from school the day after I wrote it, and my inbox was full! Although I did have one person calling me a _(Insert curse word here)_. But, oh well! At least I know I still have readers, even if they don't always review.

... Anyway! Whatcha think of the chapter? Right now, I'm not liking Lei Kashino very much. (And I made him up!)

**_Please Review! _**


	12. My Future

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

**NOTE:** To help everyone (and myself!) remember, I'm gonna list Ichigo and Rukia's schedule. Lol! I can never remember while writing...

**7:30–10:00 — **The History of Shinigami  
**10:30–11:00 — **Kido Class  
**11:15–1:00 — **Physical Skills  
**1:05–2:00 — **Basic Knowledge  
**2:05–3:20 — **Zanpaktou Skills

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Twelve**

**_January 10th, 2003 — Soul Society, Seireitei — 10_**_**:32 AM**_

Rukia sighed.

It was her eighth day in the new school, and it wasn't getting any easier. Her cold was almost gone, though, so all in all, life wasn't bad.

That was, until she got to her Kido class.

"Class, today we have a new student. Well, not exactly _new_. He's in his second year, but yesterday, he managed to pass the Kido class. _Finally_. After failing five times."

The teacher did not look impressed as the red-head shuffled his feet around on the floor; he was grinning. And Rukia not only _looked_ unimpressed... she _was _unimpressed. And Renji, the kind-of-new student, just looked like he didn't care at all, which was sure to earn him a free pass right back to the special help Kido class.

"This is Abarai Renji," the teacher confirmed, slapping the boy on the back to push him toward the seats. "He'll be studying with us for about five and a half days until he falls back into the SH Kido class. For the third time..."

He grumbled and turned around, picking up his papers and pushing his glasses up further on his nose in a very teacher-like way.

"Hello again, everyone!" Renji said, grinning as he took a seat in the front. Several students—who recognized him—waved back, afraid to speak as the teacher settled his glare on each individual person.

Rukia just sighed and rolled her eyes, wiping her nose with a tissue and sneezing, to which Hinamori, who was sitting in the chair beside the annoyed raven-haired girl, laughed softly.

"He's been in here twice since the start of the year," Hinamori whispered, a smile on her lips as she watched the red-head sit down beside a group of girls. "He always falls back because he makes something explode... once, he set the teachers hair on fire."

"So... we should keep clear across the room when practicing," Rukia concluded, sniffling and silently cursing her cold as she sneezed once again. Hinamori giggled and nodded.

"Yup."

"Hinamori-san, Rukia-san!"

Both girls looked up immediately, their eyes going to the teacher, who looked less than amused at their talking during class.

"No more talking! Since you disrupted the class with your _chit-chat_, you have to help Abarai-kun this morning!"

Both girls groaned loudly.

"Oh, joy," Rukia whispered, sighing as the teacher began handing out assignments.

"So much for staying clear of him, huh, Rukia-san?" Hinamori whispered, still grinning.

Rukia sneezed.

"Today, we're practicing incantations, and the proper way to pronounce them!" the teacher shouted. "Abarai-kun, if you make anything blow up, so help me, I'll burn all your hair off!"

The whole class laughed as Renji let his head drop to the table with a loud "thunk".

Another long day was in store for them.

**_11:03 AM_**

"So, how was class?" Ichigo asked, moving from his position beside the door of Rukia's Kido class. Said small girl had just walked out, and gasped, jumping and squeaking in surprise before realizing that the voice that spoke belonged to her boyfriend.

"Ichigo! Don't scare me like that," she grumbled, sniffling as she glared at the orange-haired boy.

"Then how should I scare you?"

His face was dangerously close to hers, and she sighed before hitting him lightly over the head with her books. He pouted as she and Hinamori continued walking forward. He ran after them, and once he caught up, he fell into step beside the two considerably shorter girls.

"... Renji really made it into your Kido class before me, huh?"

Rukia smirked, but the moment was ruined by a large, violent sneeze. Ichigo and Hinamori burst out into loud laughter and Rukia just sighed, wiping her nose on Ichigo's Kimono. This caused him to screech, and Rukia to giggle. By this point, Hinamori was doubled over in laugher, unable to contain it any longer.

"Rukia-san!"

All three teenagers stood up straight, and various colored eyes turned to see the school master, Lei Kashino, staring at them, his eyes particularly trained on Rukia. She shuffled under his gaze.

"Sir?"

"Come with me, Rukia-san. Kurosaki-kun, Hinamori-san, sorry to interrupt your day."

He waved his hand, as if telling them to leave. Ichigo cast Rukia a worried glance, but she just shrugged and smiled, as if to say everything was OK. The former of the two was not convinced in the slightest, but turned around and walked off, glancing back every few seconds to make sure Rukia was all right; she was.

"I wonder if Rukia-san is in trouble..." Hinamori whispered, wringing her hands nervously. "I don't want her to get in trouble..."

She was speaking more to herself than to her orange-haired companion, but Ichigo shrugged and replied nonetheless.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's strong, and can handle herself," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

He just wished he himself was a little more confident in his words.

**1:02 PM**

Ichigo took in a deep breath and continued running. He had exactly three minutes to get to his next class, and he at least wanted to _see_ Rukia before he was thrust into the freaking Basic Knowledge class for an hour. She hadn't shown up in their Physical Skills class, and he was getting a little worried. Well... _more_ than a little worried. Even Hinamori looked a little edgy.

"Where the hell is she?" he mumbled to himself, passing the fountain and the little gap in-between buildings that they often met behind. She wasn't there, either.

He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets once again; his fingers had gone pink from the cold. Unlike most of the students, he and Rukia didn't have gloves.

"Ichigo!"

Amber eyes widened, and he screeched to a stop. Two minutes...

"Rukia! Where the hell _were_ you?" he asked, turning to face the violet eyed girl as she came to a stop beside him; she was smiling.

"Oh! Kashino-Sensei just wanted to talk about some test results of mine, and he even introduced me to a friend of his. Kuchiki Byakuya. He's a noble, and the captain of the Sixth Shinigami Division!"

She looked excited as she babbled on. Ichigo felt a huge weight lifted off of his heart as he watched her.

"Oh. Anyway, he said that I need to take some extra tutoring for the Basics class, because I was falling behind fast. Apparently, you're managing to keep up fairly well, although I don't know why..."

Rukia trailed off and Ichigo smirked as they walked to their next class.

"Well, actually _being there_ for class might help, Midget."

"That's not fair! I only missed... five of eight classes...hmm... oops?"

Ichigo's smirk grew.

"Yeah, oops."

"I was sick!"

"So? You fell behind, just like I said you would."

Rukia had no response, so she just walked along beside her large boyfriend until they reached their next class.

"Well, c'ya later!" he said, waving and turning down the opposite hall as Rukia. She waved back and bounced into the locker room, opening her locker. She was about to walk into one of the changing rooms when the bell rang and girls began pushing in from all directions. Rukia sighed, but her sigh was cut off when a pair of small but strong arms wrapped around her.

"Rukia-san! I was so worried. Were you in trouble? Are you all right?"

It was Hinamori, and the girl looked worried and a little bit curious.

"I'm fine!" Rukia said enthusiastically. "Kashino-sensei just wanted to talk about some test results of mine."

"Oh. Well, that's good..."

"C'mon, we need to get ready for class," Rukia said, grabbing her training robes, a grin still on her face. After all, it wasn't every day that you got to meet the Captain of the Sixth Division!

**5:10**

Ichigo dropped his dinner tray down on the table and sat across from Rukia and Hinamori; even Renji joined them a few minutes later.

"The food here sucks," the red-head decided, shoving spoonfuls of it into his mouth at a time; he apparently didn't care. Rukia laughed and Hinamori blushed, looking down at her salad and sandwich; the choices were slim for dinner, and they were the best offered all day. Breakfast was rice, lunch was some random sandwich, and you usually had two options for dinner. But food was food.

"So... is there actually any activities around here for us to do in the evening? Except for studying..." Ichigo mumbled, dropping his chin into his hands. "It's boring here after class! I mean... geez!"

"Here's some excitement..." Renji mumbled; Ichigo barely heard him.

"Huh?"

_Splosh_.

Rukia burst out laughing.

"What the hell was that for?!" Ichigo screeched, wiping mashed potatoes out of his eyes to see Renji smirking, holding his spoon backward, having just used it as a catapult to launch the mushy, day-old mashed potatoes into the face of his almost-friend.

"You wanted excitement, I gave you excitement."

The spoon was halfway to his mouth, once again filled with mashed potatoes, when a large glop of Ichigo's dinner—spaghetti and meat balls—landed on his cheek. The spoon was dropped in surprise, but was quickly picked up again in order to fling more mashed potatoes—this time dripping with gravy—into Ichigo's laughing face.

But this time... he was ready.

He ducked.

And the food flew straight into the face of Rukia, who screeched at the top of her lungs, bringing the attention of the entire cafeteria down on them. Ichigo jumped across the table to slap a hand over her mouth, and as he did, set his knee in Hinamori's dinner. The little girl looked on, astonished, then, shrugging, grabbed her plate and threw it in the air, giggling. It fell on top of Ichigo's head, and then rained down on Rukia. Everyone was laughing now, and several more kids had joined in the food fight; teachers were screaming and kids didn't care.

"This means war!" Rukia yelled, jumping to her feet, salad dressing dripping down into her eyes as she ran over to the table next to theirs.

She smiled sweetly.

"Can I borrow this?"

"Uh..."

Before the stunned kid could respond, Rukia had grabbed a handful of _his_ mashed potatoes and had flung them at Renji and Ichigo, who were out of "ammo".

"Diiiie!"

Water, meatballs and sandwiches were all launched at Rukia from her three friends—she ducked, and the two kids behind her were covered in seconds; they joined in, and grabbed food from their plates to fling at their attackers, Ichigo and Renji.

Rukia grabbed the totally stunned Hinamori and pulled her under the table—which, by this point, was dripping with water, milk and salad dressing—and whispered,

"It's safer under here."

Hinamori nodded in agreement, then laughed as Ichigo slipped on a puddle of water on the floor and fell flat on his butt.

Rukia grinned at him, so he shrugged, grabbed a random pile of potatoes off of the floor, and threw it under the table; it hit it's mark—Rukia's face—and then proceeded to slide down the top of her Kimono.

"Aieeee!"

She was jumping out from under the table and running in circles seconds later, digging in the top of her clothing to try and find the rouge masked potatoes.

"Gotcha!" Ichigo yelled, jumping to his feet and running off as Rukia randomly launched her shoe at him. It hit him in the butt, and he yelped.

"Ouch! Midget, this is a _food_ fight!"

"Then eat my shoes!" she screamed back, grinning despite herself.

"Go die!"

"I'd rather not, thank you very much... ah ha!"

She'd found the potatoes—which had slid down in between her breasts—and grabbed them out. She pulled her arm back, fully intending on nailing Ichigo right between the eyes... _hard_.

And then, she threw.

Ichigo ducked.

Mashed potatoes flew free.

And then...

...flew straight into the face of Lei Kashino.

"Oh, crap!" Rukia muttered, quickly descending under her table once more. Hinamori was laughing so hard at this point that she could barely breathe. But when she saw Lei Kashino she, like everyone else, froze, her laughter stopping quickly.

"What is going on here?" Lei asked, grabbing a napkin from a nearby table to wipe potatoes out of his face. "There had better be a _damn good _explanation, or every single person covered in dinner will not eat for a week!"

The fingers of all involved pointed toward Renji and Ichigo. Both teens melted under the teachers glare, then Ichigo simply pointed to Renji.

"He started it?" he suggested weakly, realizing in that moment that he was, number one, going to bed hungry that night and number two, he was going to be cleaning every toilet within a hundred miles for the next three years.

"Abarai! Kurosaki! In my office _now_!" he roared. Then, flinging a stray piece of potato out of his hair, he turned to Rukia. "Rukia-san, clean up and join them there. I have something to discuss with you; it is extremely important, and I'd rather you _not_ show up covered in dinner."

He was trying to remain calm, Rukia realized as she bolted from her position and out of the door, but he wasn't doing a very good job. And, as she was about half-way down the hall, she heard him scream,

"Every student here will clean food from this room! You may _not _leave until it is all gone! If I find even one leaf of lettuce, you're all going to _eat_ everything picked off the floor!"

And she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips as she ran outside into the freezing air and through the rather curious groups of teens inhabiting the sidewalks.

So what if she was covered from head to toe in gunk? You only live once...

... right?

**5:42**

"Sorry I'm late!"

Rukia slid into the room, bowing as her feet finally came to a halt. Ichigo and Renji looked less than amused as she straightened up and dropped into a chair beside them; her wet hair was hanging limply down her neck, and they wished that they, too, could be clean.

"Rukia-san—"

She sneezed at that moment, then wiped her nose; Kashino didn't look even the slightest bit happy at the interruption, but continued on anyway. "Rukia-san, you're in trouble, as are Abarai-kun and Kurosaki-kun, but I wish to speak to you on another matter. Abarai, Kurosaki, leave!"

Both boys jumped up and walked out of the room. Rukia didn't miss the glare that Ichigo sent the school master, but thank God, said master did.

Once both boys were gone from the room, Kashino leaned back in his chair. His hands folded together, and Rukia suddenly became a lot more nervous now that she was alone. Her violet eyes scanned the room, suddenly wishing that there was a stray door she could run out of. Older men—and being alone with them—usually made her uneasy. Of course, that could have had something to do with the fact that every older man she had met in Rukongai had either been after her body or whatever she had stolen from them. They were all rather nasty, and—

"Rukia-san, did you hear even _one_ think I just said?"

She blushed and began playing with her fingers. "N-no, sir."

Kashino sighed deeply.

—and at least she hadn't been alone with Kashino-Sensei this morning. Both Kuchiki-sama and a maid had been in the room, so she'd felt safe. Now, though...

"Rukia-san!"

She blinked and jumped a little.

"I'm _listening_!" she shouted, and only seconds later did she realize that she'd just yelled at the school master. He sighed once more and stood up to begin pacing around her chair.

"You are a gifted young woman, and you are very good in most of your classes, with the exception of Basic Knowledge. You're full of life, and your life is full of opportunities. I know you've only been in this school a little under two weeks, but I have been watching you."

That fact alone freaked her out a little.

"You have several years of school ahead of you here at the Academy. You're only a first year student, and you won't graduate until your third year."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Rukia asked, her eyes following Kashino as he paced around. He came to a stop and stared her in the eyes.

"I cannot tell you... yet. But what I am basically trying to say is I do not want you hanging around either Kurosaki or Abarai any longer, except for in classes, of course. That can't be avoided."

"What!? But they're my friends!" Rukia cried in protest, her violet eyes wide and unbelieving as she stood to her feet quickly to stare into the hard, cold eyes staring back at her. Her fingers clenched into fists.

"They are a bad influence, and they will not be a part of your important future."

"They will so! Even if Renji isn't, Ichigo said he'd stay with me always! He said he'd never leave! He said he loved me!"

"What he feels is not love. Such a young boy does not know what love is. He will forget you, Rukia-san, and move on."

By now, she was close to tears. She didn't want her life planned out for her, and certainly not by her teacher. She wanted to be with Ichigo forever, and no matter what kind of future she had, he had damn well better be there! He _did_ love her, and she loved him. So there!

"He does so love me! And you'll see."

"He cannot be allowed in your future! He will _ruin_ you!"

Rukia had never felt quite so utterly pissed at anyone in her life. So what if he was a teacher? He could go to hell, for all she cared.

"He will not ruin me! He's made me what I am today... and what _future_? I don't have an important future! I only came to this academy to get away from the horrid life me and Ichigo were living in Rukongai! I want to become a Shinigami and be by Ichigo's side forever, and nothing more."

Lei Kashino sighed and sat back down. His hands folded together, and he leaned forward over the desk, staring right into Rukia's confused, emotion filled eyes. She was an inch away from breaking down.

"Your future is quite possibly the most important of any of my students, Rukia-san."

"No, it's not! I'm not important!" she yelled, kicking the chair in her confused rage. She didn't understand anything! "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because, Rukia-san," Kashino began, smiling as he leaned back.

"Because why?"

By now she was pleading, wanting—no, _needing_—to know what was going on. Why did Kashino think she was so important? Why was he telling her she couldn't be with Ichigo? What power did he have over her?

"Because when you graduate in less than a year, after special tutoring and advanced classes... you, Rukia-san, are going to be a Kuchiki."

"W... what?"

She suddenly felt weak. He couldn't be saying what she was so sure he was saying... could he?

"That's right." He smiled, and almost looked happy at her confused feelings. "Kuchiki Byakuya-sama has asked me to have you ready to pass the exams in a years time. You'll be put directly into the Thirteenth Division, and you, Rukia-san...

There was a slight pause in his speech, in which Rukia allowed the first tear to fall.

"...will be adopted into the Kuchiki family."

* * *

_Hmm... _I wonder how it feels to have your life planned out for you. To be adopted into a family without a say in it? Poor Rukia. And yes, this isn't completely like the Manga. In the Manga, she had a choice. Here, she does not. Byakuya's gonna adopt her, and she doesn't have a say in it.

I feel so evil right now!! Both because, number one... I _am_, and, number two... for taking so _LONG TO UPDATE_! I swear, probably **everyone**is gonna kill me!

Anyway...

**_Please Review!_**


	13. Live For Today

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Thirteen**

**_January 10th, 2003 — Soul Society, Seireitei — 6:30 PM_**

When she walked into his room, she was crying, and after he'd quickly closed the door behind her, careful to hide her from any prying eyes, she fell into his arms and sobbed without a word. His amber eyes closed as he held her; he didn't know what to do. He didn't know what had happened... but he did know that she had almost never cried like this in all the years that he'd known her.

After she had calmed down a little, he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"What's wrong, Rukia? Is it something Kashino did? I swear, I'll..."

He trailed off when Rukia placed a hand on his arm. She managed a tiny smile as she pulled away from him and sat on his bed, her hands in her lap and her eyes on her hands. Her voice was quiet as she started talking.

"No matter what happens, you'll still love me, right?"

Ichigo reached out a hand and gently lifted her chin until she was staring into his eyes. She could see only truth in them as he whispered,

"I'll always love you, no matter what."

She smiled, a real smile this time, and moved closer to him again, laying her head on his chest. His arms went around her, and he held her without a word until her breathing calmed and her eyes slid tiredly shut. He gently pulled away from their embrace and laid her down on his thick, fluffy quilt. Her lips were parted ever so slightly as she breathed, and her hair fell over her blood-shot eyes.

Ichigo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pulling his blanket over her small body before sitting on the ground beside the bed.

He knew he wasn't getting the full story. For now, that was all right. But when she woke up, he wanted to hear everything. What had made her cry so hard? And why... out of everything she could have said, did she ask him if he really _did_ love her? That stupid, stupid teacher must have said something.

Sighing once more, he stood up and pulled on his shoes before walking out of the room, careful to close the door and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on it, just in case. He couldn't risk Rukia being walked in on, and he needed to get some fresh air, to clear his head and think.

So, he walked slowly down the three flights of stairs and into the night air. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon and only a few rays of pink and yellow could be seen in the sky; the colors mixed, looking as if they had been haphazardly painted across on the clouds.

Tearing his eyes away from the beautiful colors, he dropped down on the grass, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath.

Everything had changed to much. They were in a new place, surrounded by new people and new rules. Even he had changed. He found himself more protective over Rukia, and she seemed softer and quieter. He knew it was the amount of people around them that had changed her. She was used to having only him by her side, and such a drastic change made her pull away and become almost silent unless she was with him or Hinamori-san.

He smiled to himself. He would just have to stick closer, that was all. If Rukia had him and Hinamori-san and Renji as friends, she would be fine.

Or, at least he hoped so.

**2:10 AM**

Ichigo groaned and slowly opened his amber eyes, looking around the room slowly. Oh, yeah. He was on the floor, and that was why his whole body was aching. Sighing, he sat up and looked over at Rukia; she was still on his bed, sleeping silently.

Ah, what the hell? They'd always slept together before. Why not now?

So, he crawled under the blanket beside her and smiled to himself when she shifted beside him and laid her head on his chest.

"Mmm... Ichi...?" her voice was quiet and laced with sleepiness as she turned her violet eyes to stare up into his; he smiled down at her.

"Hey, did I wake you?"

"Mm hm."

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Rukia simply moved closer to him, and he ran his fingers gently through her hair; the wind blew outside, an almost silent noise in the dark room. I was the same sound he heard every single night back in Rukongai, so he closed his eyes and let it remind him of the nights he'd spent in silence with only Rukia.

His thoughts were interrupted when Rukia quietly muttered, "Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Kashino-Sensei... he... " She trailed off, her voice shaking a little bit. When Ichigo took her hand into his and squeezed it gently, letting her know he was there. She continued. "He told me there's a family that wants to adopt me."

She said the words in a rush, as if not able to say them slower, for fear if she did, it would all seem real.

But to Ichigo, it seemed more than real. He felt his heart clenching painfully as his hand slipped away from hers in surprise.

"W...what?"

She nodded. "Kuchiki Byakuya-sama is g-going to adopt me a-at the end of the end of the term." Her voice was shaking as she spoke; she'd finally let it all in, let herself realize that it was real, and she would be leaving Ichigo.

She whispered, her voice breaking as her tears finally began to fall, "I don't want to leave you."

With shaking hands, Ichigo pulled her closer, her small body pressed tightly against his as he buried his face in her hair. She cried quietly once more, her tears wetting his shirt as she gripped the cloth in her hands, holding on tightly.

"I don't want to go... I w-want to stay with you f-forever..."

Her words were shaking, and Ichigo almost couldn't reply. A huge lump had formed in his throat, and he almost couldn't find it in himself to speak.

"I won't let you go," he said, finally forcing the words out slowly and painfully. "I won't... ever leave you."

"I don't think I have a choice," Rukia said, looking up into his eyes. She looked so broken, so scared, as he placed a hand on her head to break their eye contact. He couldn't stare into her sad eyes, or he would break down. "I h-have to go... he's a noble. I c-can't speak against him."

"Well, then I will," Ichigo said firmly, his eyes moving to stare out the window. The beautiful silence suddenly seemed broken as Rukia quickly moved to stare into his eyes again; she seemed scared now.

"You can't, Ichigo! He'll s-surely kill you. He's a Shinigami captain—"

"I don't care!" Ichigo shouted, sitting up quickly. Rukia fell from his arms and sat beside him on the small bed; her eyes were filled with fear as she grabbed Ichigo's arm.

"Don't, Ichigo. Please! Even if you can approach him, he won't let you talk to him, or at least not..."

She trailed off as her tears returned again. Pressing her hands into her lap, she lowered her head and let her hair fall over her tear-filled eyes.

"_I can't lose you_," he whispered, taking her into his arms once more. She collapsed into his embrace, unable to hold herself up longer as her whole body shook with sobs. He simply held her, unable to do anything else, and lowered them to the quilt again, his head hitting the soft pillow.

And, as Rukia slipped off into a fitful sleep, he let the first tear fall.

He wouldn't let her go.

**7:00 AM**

The next morning, after Rukia had managed to get free from the boys dorm without being seen, she quickly ran back to her room just in time to see Hinamori walking down the hall; the two girls usually met up before class to walk together. Rukia put on a smile and tried to act normal, but it was hard. Her heart was all but broken, and she didn't feel like smiling.

"Good morning, Rukia-san!"

"Morning, Hinamori-san."

The smaller girl looked concerned as she noted the sadness lacing Rukia's voice.

"Is something wrong, Rukia-san?" she questioned, hugging her books to her chest as she walked. Rukia shook her head, trying to make her smile more convincing as they walked out of the dorms finally and into the sunlight. The snow was mostly gone now, and as she walked along the lawn, Rukia could finally feel the grass under her feet once more.

"Nothing's wrong," she finally said. "I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well last night."

Hinamori still looked concerned, but seemed to accept Rukia's lie for the most part as they continued walking to the boy's dorms. Soon, Ichigo walked out, perfectly normal, as if he _hadn't_ just run like a madman to get back in his room before Renji came around to annoy him.

Said annoying red-head followed him.

"Morning!" Renji said happily, grinning as he fell into step beside the girls. Ichigo ignored him and sent Rukia a concerned look; she just smiled, nodding, as if she was fine. Ichigo knew she was anything but fine, though.

"Um... yeah. So," Ichigo said, breaking the silence in the air. "I need to talk with Rukia before class."

He grabbed Rukia's hand and hauled her off. It had been a split-second decision, but he knew it was worth it when, as soon as they were alone, Rukia began crying in his arms.

"It's s-so hard to go o-on when I know that I'll be lea-leaving e-everyone soon," she sobbed, unable to hold it in any longer. Back in Rukongai, she'd almost never cried. She'd never had a reason, because Ichigo was always with her and he was all she needed.

But now... now, he was the very one that was going to be taken away from her.

"Hey," Ichigo said softly, holding her in his arms gently as the wind blew around them. "I said I'm not letting you go. I kinda meant it, Rukia. I _really_ meant it. I know it's not going to be easy, and I'm more than likely gonna get my ass handed to me on a silver platter, but I have no intentions of letting some stuck-up noble take you away."

Rukia couldn't help but laugh, and Ichigo smiled at the sound before continuing.

"Kuchiki doesn't know the pain we went through to get here. I don't care if he wants to fight me. By the end of term, we'll have released our Zanpaktous, and I'll fight him if I have to."

"You'll lose," Rukia whispered, her violet eyes staring at the ground.

"So what? If I lose, I'll become stronger, and fight him again and again and again, until I _do_ win."

He wiped the rest of her tears away with the pad of his thumb, then took her hand before walking back onto the busy sidewalks. Rukia gripped his fingers tightly as they walked; she didn't want to lose him in the crowd.

They walked off into the grass, where it was a little less crowded, and Ichigo turned to Rukia, smiling.

"C'mon! Let's have as much fun as we can before the end of term, all right? Let's not dwell on what the future will bring, and instead, let's live for now."

Rukia found herself smiling—a real smile—as she followed him.

"Yes... let's!"

**12:25 PM**

Extra Zanpaktou classes was all he needed at this point. But, since the teacher for their Physical Skills class was sick, they had substituted one class for another.

And thus, he was stuck with two periods of Zanpaktou traning. As of this moment, he was sitting on an almost empty bench beside Renji, cursing whoever it was that decided they needed an hour and a half extra ZS classes.

Sighing, Ichigo pulled out his lunch. He let his eyes stray to Renji's food and sighed.

"How come you have the good sandwich?"

"Cause you were slow this morning."

He couldn't deny it. He and Rukia had barely been able to make it to their first class after picking up their lunch—they ate in the middle of their Physicals Skills class, which actually made the class more like an hour and twenty minutes, instead of an hour and forty-five. Which was a relief. By the time an hour came around, most students were ready to drop.

"Whatever," he finally said, not able to come up with a better comeback as he took a large bite out of the stale bread and leftover ham. But hey, it was better than nothing. He'd often gone without food before, and stale or not, bread was bread.

"So, where did you come from?" Renji asked randomly, biting into his own sandwich. Ichigo finished chewing before speaking.

"Me and Rukia came from Rukongai. Seventy-eighth district. You?"

His answer was simple, but he could tell that Renji was surprised.

"Me? I'm also from Rukongai, but I'm from the twenty-fifth. It was a lot better than yours was, for sure. I heard it's hell there," he said, taking a drink of water as Ichigo's eyes strayed across the room, where Hinamori was sitting alone; Rukia had been taken off by Kashino and a teacher from the higher levels; special training, they'd said. He's just glared at them, and told Rukia where to meet him after class. She'd been pale, and had looked even a little worried.

Ichigo took another bite, then finally responded to his friend. "We lived."

There was silence between the two until the teacher rounded everyone up again.

"As you all know, most students will have released their Zanpaktou's by the end of their first year. Several of you, however, came in the middle of the year, so you might fall behind. If you want to get caught up, come to me after your classes, and we can arrange a time where either I or Kai-Sensei can tutor you. Kurosaki-kun..."

Ichigo looked up, surprised at having been directly addressed.

"Yes?"

"I fully expect you to have released without the tutoring by the end of term."

Ichigo grinned.

"Yes, Sensei."

"Good. Now that we all understand... everyone, take their practice Zanpaktou's, pair off, and fight. Kai-Sensei and I will be observing to try and spot your weak points, which we will work on this afternoon in our _real_ class. Now, get to it!"

Ichigo took his practice Zanpaktou and turned to Renji, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"Fight me?"

"Hell yeah."

**12:45 PM**

Rukia was having a much harder time in her class—which was an Advanced Zanpaktou class that she was supposed to take during the normal Physical Skills class—And, having skipped lunch, she was now fighting against Kiriya-Sensei. He was the teacher of the third year, and was not being easy on her. Bruises were forming on her small body, and sweat was dripping from her hair and face.

"Harder, Rukia-san! Fight like your life depends on it!"

She was, she was, she was! Her slashes and stabs couldn't become any harder, and her body was not strong enough to keep up much longer, either. Kiriya-Sensei could see this, so he sighed and put his practice Zanpaktou at his side.

"Rukia-san, that's enough for today. According to Kashino-sama, however, you need to have released by next month. We have a long way to go. In battle, you will need far more than a practice Zanpaktou."

"How... do I call out my own Zanpaktou?" Rukia asked, taking a long drink of water from the bottle Kiriya handed her. He smiled.

"In the heat of battle, when a practice Zanpaktou becomes useless, the student realizes he needs more, and calls out the power within him. If it's strong enough, he will have successfully released his Zanpaktou. But that's just the beginning. After that, he has to achieve his first _actual _release, and not just the release of the Zanpaktou itself. But... we'll talk about that another day. For now, you should rest before your next class."

Rukia nodded and sat down, silently wondering how she was ever going to take another half year of such extensive training. She'd already had several classes separate from the whole school, which were much harder than normal.

She knew that, if she kept up at this pace, she would be at least as strong as a second year by the end of term. She only hoped that it would be good enough for Kashino-Sensei, because she couldn't do anymore.

"Rukia-san?"

"Hmm?"

She looked up at Kiriya again, and this time he was smiling.

"Congratulations on being adopted into the Kuchiki family. I hear that you're going to be put directly into the thirteenth division, without even having to pass your exams," he said slowly, as if his words were a test.

When Rukia only nodded silently, he took it as an OK to continue.

"I now understand why we're training you so hard. Even if you don't have to pass exams, you still need to be strong enough to fight. Kashino-sama didn't sell me everything, but he told me enough. So, you're the sister of Kuchiki-sama's wife?"

Rukia looked up sharply.

"What?"

Kiriya suddenly snapped his mouth shut.

"What do you mean?" Rukia asked again, louder this time.

"I shouldn't have said that," Kiriya said, sighing and sitting down beside the small, raven-haired girl. "But now that the cat's out of the bag, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you."

Rukia nodded eagerly. Kiriya smiled and ruffled her hair before continuing.

"Kashino-sama told me that Kuchiki-sama wants to adopt you because you're the little sister of his wife, Hisana-san. When she died, she made him promise to find and protect you, so now that he's finally found you after two years of searching, he wants you in his family as soon as possible."

Rukia nodded slowly, taking it all in as Kiriya spoke. It made a little more sense now, but...

"I don't want to be adopted."

Kiriya looked surprised.

"What? But... why?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe it, as if no one would ever refuse an invitation into the noble Kuchiki family.

"Because I don't want to leave my friends behind. I don't want to leave Ichigo... I don't want to go. But I don't have a choice," she whispered, her eyes downcast.

Kiriya looked like he could barley understand, but he nodded nonetheless.

"I'm not sure I could relate, but... well, I suppose you'll accept it in time. I don't know anyone who would speak against a Kuchiki. I'm sorry... you know, that it isn't something you want." He smiled and stood up as the bell rang for Rukia's next class. "But I wish you the best of luck, Rukia-san."

Jumping up, Rukia hugged him and then ran out of the room, grabbing her bag on the way out of the door.

Kiriya smiled.

"Strangest girl I've seen in a while."

He began following—though at a much slower pace—so that he could get back to his own class on time. Teachers couldn't be late, you know.

As he closed the door behind him and locked it, he whispered, "I really do wish her the best."

**1:20 PM**

Ichigo sighed, then smiled as Rukia laid her head on his shoulder.

Even though they shared almost no classes anymore, Basic Knowledge was one that they _did_ get to be together in. So, they barely paid the teacher any attention as they talked quietly about their respective hells. Rukia's seemed far worse.

"Ah ha! Here she is now."

Ichigo's attention snapped back to what the teacher was saying just as he opened the door.

"Today we have yet another new student. She's entering in the middle of term, due to not being able to make it for the whole beginning year. Family problems, or some such thing."

The teacher smiled as a young girl—who looked to be about sixteen—walked inside the classroom. Dark brown hair fell over the girl's bright eyes, and Ichigo's own eyes went wide as he stared.

"Class, this is Misa-san."

* * *

_Hmm_... I've been planning this for a while. _(Evil laughs) _But the cliffhanger isn't too bad, is it? And I think that this story is gonna be about seven or eight more chapters. Not sure, though. I have a few wrinkles to iron out, and, of course, the whole Byakuya issue.

Mwahaha! Also... **YAY!** I hit the 100 favs mark. I love you all!

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **I might not be able to update before the 15th. I'm not going to have much (If any at all) internet access, soo... yeah. Sorry!

**_Please Review! _**


	14. A Life of Love

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Fourteen**

_Previously..._

_The teacher smiled as a young girl—who looked to be about sixteen—walked inside the classroom. Dark brown hair fell over the girl's bright eyes, and Ichigo's own eyes went wide as he stared._

_"Class, this is Misa-san."_

**January 10th — 1:55 PM**

Ichigo smirked as he jumped up from his chair and walked across the classroom to where Misa was sitting. She waved and smiled before bolting forward and grabbing first Rukia in a crushing hug, then Ichigo. She'd been staring at them all through class, but neither one had even glanced back, for fear she'd get in trouble for doing something stupid; the teacher gave out detentions for even the simplest, stupidest thing.

"It's been a while!"

"Misa-san! So good to see you again!"

"What _the hell_ are you _doing here_?"

Everyone spoke at once, then Rukia started laughing. Misa soon followed, and Ichigo sighed; he'd never understand them. He didn't see how anything that was just said could make them laugh like a pair of idiots—except for the fact, of course, that they _were_ idiots.

Once both girls had managed to stop laughing enough to breathe, Misa turned to Ichigo and punched him.

"Nice way to greet a friend, mister! _What the hell are you doing here_? And after I hugged you, too..."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as she began pouting. He was about to reply that punching him—after hugging him, of course—wasn't the best way to return his greeting, especially if she had been planning to punch him in the first place, when the teacher slapped his desk as hard as he could with his yardstick.

"Students! _Out. Of. My. Classroom_! Class is _over_!"

All three teenagers bolted, their books under their arms and their eyes wide. When they made it to the safety of the hallway, they all looked at each other and burst out laughing once more, but this time Ichigo joined in.

If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Really, though. It was good to see Misa again. He just couldn't figure out why she'd come...

**—2:10—**

Wide-eyed Ichigo slid into the classroom and into the end of the line beside Renji; he could see both Misa and Rukia giggling at him from across the room as the teacher turned around, confused and surprised.

"Kurosaki-kun, did you just come in?" he asked, frowning.

"No, sir. I've been here the whole time..."

Ichigo could feel the eyes of everyone in class on him. He just gave the biggest grin he could manage, and thought happily, _Why, no, Sensei! I was five minutes late to your class, and of course I'd tell _you_ that because I just _love _getting punished_.

But, instead of uttering the words he thought, he just stared, the thought suddenly occurring to him that maybe his teacher was a mind-reader.

The chances were slim, though, so he just shrugged.

"I guess I just don't stand out much. But I've been here the whole time! Honest!"

On the other side of the room—where the girls were lined up facing the boys—Rukia was silently _dying_ of laughter; she was doubled over, and both hands were clasped over her mouth; Ichigo wasn't _quite_ sure what the hell was so funny, but he had a feeling that Misa had something to do with it; the two had been sticking together like they'd been best friends forever. And, he had no doubt that if Hinamori hadn't been sick the the cold that half of the school seemed to have caught, she'd be stuck right along with them.

The teacher sighed.

"Well, let me tell you something, Kurosaki-kun. You _do_ stand out. But... if you say you've been here the whole time, I suppose... maybe I'm tired today. But! Nonetheless, everyone pair off and begin. And Rukia-san. Good to see you back in here, although I'm sure it won't last long."

Rukia stopped her silent laughter as she attempted to give a normal reply.

"No, sir. The teacher that Kashino-sensei assigned to tutor me is sick, so for the time being, I'm supposed to train here."

"Ah! Very well, Rukia-san." He was grinning, as if she'd just said the funniest thing in the world. "I understand that you have been taking Advanced Zanpaktou Skills class during normal lessons... am I correct?"

Rukia simply nodded, and Misa looked over at her friend, slightly confused; neither Ichigo or Rukia had wanted to spoil the new girl's first day by telling her the bad news.

"Well then, I'd like you to go against Kurosaki-kun today, Rukia-san. I want to know exactly how much good those extra classes are doing you."

Rukia grinned suddenly.

"Sure, Sensei, I—"

"_No way_!"

The teacher turned to look at the orange-haired kid who had objected so loudly.

"Kurosaki-kun, you have objections? Hmm... are you afraid to fight her?"

"I don't wanna fight a girl," Ichigo said, sighing and slinging his practice Zanpaktou over his shoulder. "Let me fight Renji."

"But you always win."

"Yeah!" Renji joined in. "Fight your girlfriend! I wanna fight someone else... someone who doesn't cheat."

"I don't cheat!"

"You do _so_!"

Everyone else in the class was laughing or was just plain confused as Renji and Ichigo continued to argue. But, as the teacher sighed and rolled his eyes, Ichigo could tell that no matter what he said, he was gonna fight Rukia. The whole class was on the teacher's side, and Rukia didn't look all that against the idea, either; she was smiling eagerly.

"I'll win," she said confidently, and her voice drowned out every other voice in the room; Ichigo could hear only her as a very large vein popped in his head; he forgot all about Renji and turned around to face his girlfriend.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, smirking as he gripped his sword. "I bet you can't even hit me once!"

"You're on!"

They moved toward the middle, and no one else began fighting as Rukia took her own sword out; they didn't want to miss this, and the teacher didn't seem to mind, either. So, everyone formed a circle around the pair as the fight began.

**—2:21—**

It took less than three minutes.

It took exactly two minutes and twenty-five seconds, as a matter of fact.

"I can't believe you got beat by your _girlfriend_!" Renji roared, laughing loudly as he slapped Ichigo on the back. Said orange-haired, pouting teen glared. And, if looks could kill, Renji would be dead.

Very dead.

"Shut. _Up_. Renji."

Rukia was grinning triumphantly, and Misa was shaking in silent laughter as Renji backed up a step or two to avoid _the-glare-of-death_. Ichigo, however, was not laughing, grinning _or_ backing up. Instead, he was wondering how he was going to live in school for the next three years with the reputation that he'd been beaten by a girl.

And not just any girl.

A girl who was a foot shorter than him, and at least a hundred pounds less.

So, basically he'd been beaten by a _midget_.

And his friends were still laughing about it as they (He and Renji) were walking the girls (Rukia and Misa) back to their dorms after dinner.

"Just, for the record... I hate you all," Ichigo declared as he leaned up against the wall of the girl's dorms. Rukia stuck her tongue out at him before opening the door.

"You're just sore because I won."

"Actually, I'm sore because you beat me up with that stupid stick. I'm gonna have bruises!" he whined, his amber eyes wide. But as Rukia leaned up and gave him a tiny kiss on the lips before disappearing inside, he sighed, shrugged, and let himself smile.

Misa sighed, too.

"Wow, they have it bad," she observed, watching as Ichigo walked off randomly in the other direction.

"Have what bad?" Renji asked, raising an eyebrow at Ichigo's retreating form. Misa rolled her eyes.

"_Love_, you idiot. You've been in love before, haven't you? Rukia said you've had a lot of girlfriends."

Renji shrugged and yawned as he pulled himself away from the stone wall. "I don't suppose I have. Most of those girls only wanted me for my body, and I didn't mind, so we never lasted long. The sex was great, but I didn't want more than that, and neither did she. Hell, I've never even had many friends, let alone anyone who actually loved me."

He turned away from her and started walking off, but she reached out and grabbed onto the sleeve of his robes. He stopped, but didn't meet her eyes.

"Well, me and Rukia and Ichigo are your friends, right?"

"Suppose so," he mumbled, smirking.

"Well, then. That's a start."

She walked off inside, and Renji stood there for a minute, not quite sure what to say or do. Then he, too, walked off. There wasn't anything else to say. But she... she _was_ right. Ichigo and Rukia... and even Misa herself, even though she'd only known him for a day, were his friends.

And what the hell?

That was good enough.

**—5:29 PM—**

"So, what are you doing here?"

The question took Misa off guard as she sat down on her bed and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She shrugged and sighed, her eyes downcast.

"Umm... well ... when I got home, people started finding out I had spiritual power. I mean... I guess it started showing more after our... _trip_. I used to be able to hide it really well, but when I got back... I just couldn't. I don't know. It just seemed to flow out of me; I couldn't stop it. My father knew, of course, but no one else did, and everyone looked at me like I was some kind of freak. Shinigami, or even people with the power, aren't really popular there, if you know what I mean."

Rukia smiled sadly.

"I can understand. I could always hide my power, but Ichigo never could, and he always got picked on. It helped that he could beat up anyone that waspicking on him, though."

Both girls laughed as Rukia sat down beside her friend.

"So you came to get away?"

Misa shook her head.

"No, I came because Father wanted me to. He... didn't want me to have to continue living _there_. He was planning on sending me off, anyway, to live with someone he knew in the thirty-second district. But he decided I'd be better off here. He said, "You can build a life there, Misa-chan. You can get away from this horrible world, and into another, better one". I didn't want to come, really. I... was scared, I suppose. But you and Kurosaki-kun are here, and so is Renji-kun, so I'll be fine."

Rukia nodded, squeezing Misa's hand before turning and staring into her eyes.

"You still have to meet Hinamori-san. She's sweet. I think you'll like her!"

"I probably will," Misa said, dropping back onto the large, fluffy quilt and staring up at the empty ceiling. "Oh, and Rukia-san?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me more about Renji-kun."

Rukia blinked a few times. Then, her mouth dropped open.

"Misa-san! You don't... do you? You don't_...surely_..._"_

"Don't _what_?" Misa asked, a small blush rising to her cheeks; she knew fully well what her little friend was talking about as Rukia, instead of answering, jumped to her feet and grinned brightly before staring straight into Misa's eyes.

"You _like_ him!"

Light pink turned to deep, cherry red and Misa started stuttering.

"I-I've only known him for _a day_! Don't b-be ridiculous!"

But Rukia only laughed, and even Misa couldn't help the tiny smile that came to her lips.

**—8:02 PM — Soul Society, Sixth Division —**

"She won't be ready. Not in five months."

The voice was quite, and even seemed worried for the person he was speaking of. It was a male voice, and he was arguing with a second man, whose black hair framed his emotionless face softly.

"Do not worry. Soon, she will have released her Zanpaktou, I will not allow her to take a seat in your division. All I want you to do is be her Captain, and have small, simple missions available to her occasionally. That is all I am asking, nothing more."

"Why?"

Silence fell over the room.

"Why, you ask?"

"Yes, _why_."

"Because I made a promise to her sister, to find her and protect her. I cannot do that while she is in the Academy. I do not, however, want to pull her out too soon. She needs a place to belong, and she cannot belong here unless she has the proper training."

There was a long silence once more, and the older man sighed before bowing respectfully and walking out of the door.

"Very well, Kuchiki-sama."

**—8:30 PM—**

Ichigo was putting away his books and piling his homework neatly in a corner when there was a small, soft knock on his door. He smiled; he knew it was Rukia as he walked over and cracked open the door to see a small, raven-haired girl pacing outside. And, as soon as she saw the door open, she pushed inside and leaned against it.

"I think Renji saw me, and another kid might have, but he just waved," Rukia informed him, smirking. "So, if I get in trouble, I blame you."

"Maybe you can get in enough trouble to make Kuchiki not want you," he said as he closed the door. He turned to see Rukia already sitting on his bed, her bare feet curled into his quilt. He raised an eyebrow.

"Rukia, get your stinky feet out of my bed."

"Then give me socks."

"Get your own."

"Too long of a walk. Besides, if I want something from you, I could get it. I mean... after all, I _did_ beat the crap out of you in—"

"Fine! Fine! You can have the damn socks," he grumbled, pulling a pair out of his dresser before dropping dramatically onto his bed.

Rukia smiled triumphantly.

"Thank you."

"You're _not_ welcome."

She pulled the socks on calmly as if Ichigo had freely given them to her. Then, she laid back on the bed beside her boyfriend. He smiled over at her, and she curled closer, laying her head on his chest.

They were silent in the shadow-lit room. They almost never got to be together like this, so when they did, they silently treasured it.

"Mmm... Rukia?"

Soft, violet eyes slowly turned to the boy laying beside her.

"Hmm?"

"I've been thinking—"

"No, really? Amazing..."

She was grinning brightly as he playfully punched her on the arm. He said, "Shush, silly, and let me finish." And, when she nodded and fell silent, he continued. "I was thinking of ways that we could keep you away from Kuchiki."

"Really?" Rukia asked curiously. "And what did you come up with?"

"Hmm... well, first off..." he said, pausing as he shifted on the bed to where he was propped up on one arm and he was staring into Rukia's eyes. "I could kidnap you."

"And that would go over _so well_ when Kuchiki-sama sent a squad of super Shinigami after you."

"Right. So, that's out. Umm... well, I could fight him."

"We went over that. You'd die in seconds. Even _I_ beat you."

"_Shut up_ about that!" he growled, rolling his eyes and falling onto his back. Rukia, too, was on her back and they stared up at the white ceiling without saying a word until Ichigo decided to share his last idea.

Before he spoke, he moved until he was above her, his eyes searching hers as he whispered,

"I could marry you."

* * *

_Hmm..._well, I feel evil. First, I don't update in _forever_. Second, I give you a medium chapter instead of a huge one. Third, I didn't reply. (NO TIME!) Then, I end it on a horrid cliffhanger with the promise that it'll take a while to update.

So... flame away. _(Hands over torches and matches)_. But really... whatcha think of the last part? The idea came from **therealanon2.bunnisteffi**. So, thankies!

**Excuse time ( Why I didn't update ): **School, first and foremost. Second, I had a pregnancy scare. The HPT said I was, so I went to the doc; he said no. Third, I went to visit my family. Forth... I had a little bit of writers block on this one.

**_Please Review!_**


	15. Just Let Me Go

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

**— NOTE: —**

Normal writing — Current time  
_Italics with a **noted time — **Flashbacks  
"Italics with Quotation Marks" — Zangetsu  
Normal Italics — Thinking, or inner speaking_

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Fifteen**

**Five Months Later — June 15th ****— 2:30 PM**

Ichigo ran forward, his sword clashing with that of the teachers. A few sparks flew, and both jumped far back; all that was heard was heavy breathing and soft, yet heavy footsteps echoing on the dirt. Students hung behind the lines, watching curiously; everyone was fully expecting Ichigo to win this fight. Only minutes in, he had managed to release his Zanpaktou; a record release, as no one had ever released so quickly on the exams. And no one had ever won the teacher in a fight, and that was why no one had ever gotten a perfect score on their exam.

And, for the first time, someone was getting close.

"C'mon, Kurosaki-kun!" the teacher roared, running forward once more. "Fight!"

"Shut the _hell up_!" Ichigo yelled back as their swords clashed once more.

"Wow, someone's in a sour mood," Renji said from the sidelines, where he was standing beside Misa; she was hanging onto his arm, watching the fight with a curious, entranced look in her bright eyes.

"You shut the hell up, too, Reindeer!" Ichigo said, pointing his rather large Zanpaktou at his friend; Renji raised his hands in defeat just as Ichigo's eyes grew wide and he jumped to the side to avoid an attack from Daigo-sensei, the teacher.

"Concentrate!"

With a loud growl and a quick jump, Ichigo was charging again. Daigo was coming at him full force, and he could feel himself weakening; they'd been fighting too long, and he couldn't hold out much longer. He either had to win quickly, or admit defeat.

And he would rather die than lose...

... again.

**_— January 10th —_**

_Before he spoke, he moved until he was above her, his eyes searching hers as he whispered,_

_"I could marry you."_

_The silence that filled the room was deafening. Rukia's violet eyes were wide in surprise as she stared into Ichigo's face, searching for any sign that he was lying, joking... anything. But there was nothing; his amber eyes held only truth, and his lips were set in a firm line; he was completely serious... and she didn't know how to respond._

_"... Rukia?"_

_"Shut up, I'm thinking!"_

_A small blush slowly spread across her cheeks; the silence had been fine, but when Ichigo had broken it with his curious voice, what he was suggesting hit her full force._

_The problem was... it was the only thing that even had a small chance of working._

**— Present Time —**

The immediate area was filled with a blinding, white light and everyone quickly covered their eyes, some of the girls screaming loudly. Dust was everywhere, and no one could see for several minutes; complete silence filled the area, and when the dust began to clear, many gasped.

Kurosaki Ichigo stood in the middle of the exam arena, his lips set in a firm line, his eyes hard.

_"Release me."_

The voice was distant, and Ichigo barely heard it. His whole body was shaking in both excitement and sheer exhaustion, and the Zanpaktou he held in his hands seemed light, yet at the same time, so very heavy. It was full of power, just begging to be released, to be let out to crush their opponent.

_"Call out my name! Release me from your soul!"_

"How can I call out your name if I don't know it?" Ichigo yelled out, hoping that whatever... _whoever_ it was speaking could hear him and feel his confusion, his fear, his hope.

_"You know my name; you always have. I've always been inside of you... I've always been a part of you! Now... call out my name, and release me!"_

Daigo-sensei stood back, his Zanpaktou in the air, ready at a moments notice to strike. But he didn't; instead, he watched the young man before him struggling, fighting to control the power he held within himself. He smiled; he knew this was going to get very ugly, very fast. It was going to be the hardest fight that he was going to participate in all day, but it would be fun.

_"Call out my name!"_

"I can't!"

_"You _can_!"_

Ichigo gripped his head and fell to his knees, his Zanpaktou slipping out of his grasp and falling to the dirt. He closed his eyes tight; he knew he could do it, he knew he could... but he didn't know if he wanted to. The power he felt inside of him scared him a little.

But as he felt his own hand wrap around the handle of the Zanpaktou lying on the ground, he knew it was something he needed to do.

If he wasn't doing it for himself...

... he was doing it for _her._

_"Call out my name! My name is..."_

"_Zangetsu_!!"

— **_January 11th _**—

_The sun was high in the sky, giving the day a warm glow despite the several inches of snow on the ground. The students were taking advantage of it and staying outside between classes. _

_Well, students that didn't happen to go by the name Kurosaki Ichigo. _

_Instead, Ichigo was hanging around inside, trying to avoid coming face to face with his girlfriend, Rukia. O__n the on occasion that they happened to be in the same place at the same time, Ichigo quickly looked to the side to avoid making eye contact as Rukia passed by; she didn't fail to notice this, and she clutched her books closer to her chest before continuing on._

_"Are you all right, Rukia-san? You look sad."_

_The small, raven-haired girl sighed and shrugged before looking up at her friend, Misa, who was walking beside her._

_"I'm not sad so much as just... confused, I suppose."_

_"Oh? What about?"_

_Rukia didn't answer; she'd made it a point not to mention the previous night's events to either of her friends. She didn't mention having gone to Ichigo's room, or their conversations... his question... or her answer._

_"Nothing, really..."_

_Misa raised an eyebrow._

_"Rukia, you've been sighing _all day_. Something's wrong, I know that much. And either you're going to tell me, or I'll _make_ you tell me."_

_Rukia laughed, and a tiny smile came to her lips. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone._

_"It's Ichigo."_

_"Oh... so, do I need to beat him up?"_

_Another tiny smile._

_"No. He... well, it's my fault really." She sighed once more. "It's a long story."_

_"Hey! We have fifteen minutes before our next class, and I'm more than willing to listen to every word. So spill it."_

_After both girls had sat down on a bench relatively far away from everyone else, Rukia began explaining. She told Misa everything that had happened since she and Ichigo had arrived. She told about Byakuya, and the adoption, and she told about neither of them wanting her to leave. Then, finally, she told about Ichigo's idea and her answer._

_Misa just sat there, completely shocked. Rukia bit her lip, her fingers playing with the edge of her clothing nervously. _

_Finally, Misa spoke._

_"So... you really said no?"_

**— Present Time **—

_"Call out my name! My name is..."_

"_Zangetsu_!!"

As Ichigo shouted the name that seemed so familiar, yet so foreign, he felt something that was trapped inside of him fly free; the air around him grew thick, and the ground seemed to shake as dust and dirt flew all around him in circles, acting as a shield as he felt the Zanpaktou in his hands change. It seemed to completely disappear for a second, then it was back in his grasp, but it was different. It seemed smaller, yet larger at the same time; it looked less like a sword and more like a huge knife. The hilt and handle were gone, replaced by a simple stretch of metal, covered in a cloth that expanded and covered the whole blade, almost like a bandage.

Then, it all came undone, and the cloth wrapped around his arm, like an extra support to hold the large Zanpaktou; the blade was released, and the dust began to clear as Ichigo's reiatsu calmed down a little bit.

_"That's better, baka."_

Ichigo smirked, then turned to Daigo.

"Hey, Sensei, before we continue, can I ask you a question?"

Daigo smiled and nodded, gripping his own Zanpaktou. This was going to be interesting. No one had ever achieved Shikai on their first year exams. _Ever_.

"Zangetsu is like... my Zanpaktou's soul, right?"

Daigo nodded.

"Right. Oh, and after the exam, I'd like to have a word with you, all right?"

"Sure."

And then, they were at it again. The clashing of Zanpaktou's filled the air, and everyone watched on, mesmerized, as the two figures in the exam ring ran around, avoiding and attacking each other. It seemed like an endless game of cat and mouse until Daigo somehow managed to get the upper hand; Ichigo fought back as hard as he could, but he was quickly being backed into a corner.

_I can't lose, I can't, I can't, I can't!_

Ichigo's thoughts were mirroring his desperate actions; it was getting harder and harder to continue standing. He was beginning to feel the effects of fighting for so hard, so long.

So, with one last burst of energy, he ran forward with everything in him.

_I have to win... for Rukia!!_

— **February 3rd **—

_Rukia was walking back to her dorm after school, her books clasped to her chest, with the intentions of taking a long hot shower and sleeping for twelve hours._

_She honestly didn't think she could go on much longer. The extra, advanced classes were taking their toll on her, and she was getting tired faster each day. But she had to push on for only a few more months; she would be leaving in early June. But until then... _

_She just sighed and turned around yet another corner. How come the walk back to her room was taking so much longer today?_

_She was about to turn the final corner that would lead to the girl's dorms when a large, warm hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist; she froze._

_"Rukia."_

_A breath in, a breath out; she relaxed. It was just Ichigo._

_"W-what do you want?"_

_They hadn't really talked since the day he had asked her to marry him to save her; she didn't know how to face him. When she'd left him that night, he'd looked so emotionless, and the morning after, Ichigo had refused to meet her eyes, and had made it a point to be as far away as possible._

_In the darkness of the night, she couldn't see anything but the outline of his body. She couldn't see if he was mad, or if he was just sad; she couldn't see if he was smiling or frowning. He didn't even seem like himself._

_"You've been avoiding me. I wanted to talk."_

_His voice was soft, but as he whispered those words, something inside of her snapped._

_"_I've_ been avoiding _you_? What do you mean! You're the one who refused to look me in the eye for days after I... after I said no! _You_ avoided me! _You_ wouldn't talk to me! I... it hurt, Ichigo! I'd just made the biggest, hardest decision of my life... and... and... you _ignored_ me!"_

_"Why in the hell did you say no in the first place?!"_

_His hand had slipped from her wrist, and now she was staring into his eyes; she could see that they were filled with confusion and hurt, too, even though she couldn't actually see him._

_"I... I don't want... I don't want you to get hurt, Ichigo! I... just let me go, a-and... and..."_

_Feeling the pain in her words, and seeing it in her eyes, Ichigo slowly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her ever-so-gently. She was shaking in his arms, her small body vibrating with sobs._

_"Rukia, I can't just let you go."_

_"H-he's a captain, Ichigo. He'll k-kill you... so just let me go," she whispered, closing her eyes as she turned around._

_"Rukia..."_

_"Please, Ichigo... let me go."_

_And with those word, she ran. She ran as fast as her feet would carry her, and when she was back in her room, she locked the door and collapsed onto her bed, crying._

— **Present Time **—

He didn't know what was happening. He saw blood, he felt pain... his Zanpaktou was lying a few feet away from him. But, when he tried to pick it up, he found he couldn't move. Pain was shooting through his arms and legs, and his vision was beginning to go fuzzy; he couldn't hear the panicked screams anymore, either. Before his vision blacked out completely, he saw a young woman—who he knew to be the school nurse—walk over and lean down beside him, whispering encouragingly as she wiped blood away from his face.

Then, he was gone.

**6:39 PM**

"Oi! Carrot-head! Wake the hell up!"

The first thing Ichigo heard when he woke up was the loud, annoying voice of Renji. The second thing he heard was Misa pounding said red-head for being so loud. The first thing he saw, however, was food, so that made it all better. But the fact that Renji had eaten half of it made him sigh.

"Did I win?" he asked, shifting in bed. Misa's eyes widened and she ran over, putting her hand on his chest to hold him still.

"Don't move! You're still hurt, baka."

His groan of pain told her that he'd figured that out.

A moment of silence fell, then Ichigo asked again, "Did I win?"

Renji smirked.

"Ya almost killed Daigo-sensei, stupid."

Ichigo forgot all about his injuries as he bolted up in bed, his eyes wide. He winced in pain, and looked down to see blood slowly seeping through the bandages on his chest; he'd re-opened his cuts. But he didn't care.

"Is he all right!?"

"He's gonna be," Renji replied, sighing as he sat down in the empty chair beside Ichigo's bed before gently pushing the worried teen back down onto the perfectly white sheets. "The doc said that he was barely alive when they got to him. You were a little better off, but not much. The poor nurse exhausted herself healing you, and the doc is still working on Daigo-sensei. But they say he'll be fine with a lot of rest. Needless to say, the exams are on hold. Although... Kai-sensei is going to do the rest of 'em."

Ichigo just nodded as he stared up at the pure white ceiling. Why was everything white, anyway?

"So... did I pass?"

Renji burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Misa sighed and whacked him upside the head before rolling her eyes and turning to Ichigo.

"Are you kidding me? No one in the first year has _ever_ won against Daigo-sensei! Heck, only one third year has ever won. Ichigo, they're talking about skipping you into the third year. They say that, 'Having him go through the second year training would just waste time.' Apparently, they need Shinigami in the divisions faster than they're actually graduating."

Ichigo just sat there, utterly shocked. Third year? No way!

"You're kidding, right?" he asked, finally vocalizing his thoughts.

Misa smiled. "No, I'm not. I was listening to Kai-sensei and Kashino-sama talking. They're going to talk it over with Daigo-sensei once he's well enough to actually talk. But, in the end, I'm pretty sure that they're gonna skip you into the third year... well, in everything except Kido."

Renji smirked.

"You'll be in the same year as me. Not that we weren't together in most classes anyway..."

"That's just because you keep falling behind because all you do is chase girls," Ichigo confirmed, wincing in pain once more as Misa offered him a sip of water.

"Hey! I've been doing better. I've been in the second year's Zanpaktou Skills class for the last three months. And I'm out of the special help Kido class."

"And all this is only possible because your girlfriend pounds you if you're staring at girls instead of studying."

"Ah, just shut up!"

By this time, Misa was laughing so hard she had to sit down on the edge of Ichigo's bed; neither of the two boys noticed and continued to argue back and forth until the nurse came in; she didn't look happy... at all.

"Abarai-kun, Misa-san, out! Kurosaki-kun needs his sleep, and I'm afraid it's _completely_ impossible to sleep with you two in here."

Renji shrugged and said, "Well, c'ya later man!" as Misa leaned over and kissed Ichigo on the forehead. "Bye bye, Ichigo!"

As the two left, Ichigo smiled and closed his eyes. Being skipped forward a year would mean more work... but it would mean that he was that much closer.

That much closer to being by Rukia's side again.

— **April 10th **—

_"You're leaving in a month."_

_The simple statement was enough to make Rukia nearly cry; the days kept passing, and they kept fading away. Soon, she would be leaving, and she wouldn't see Ichigo again for years._

_"I'm so sorry, Ichigo," she whispered, taking a deep breath to try and control herself. "I... I'm sorry."_

_He shrugged._

_"It's your decision, Rukia. If you want to leave, I won't stop you." He paused and laughed. "I probably couldn't stop you, even if I tried. You're just too damn stubborn. I just... promise me something, all right?"_

_She nodded, reaching over to take his hand into hers._

_"Promise me that, when I _do_ get into Seireitei, you'll still be waiting for me."_

_She nodded, then moved closer to him as she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "I promise, I'll never stop waiting."_

_He held her until she fell asleep that night, but he was awake for a long time after, thinking. They were going to be apart for two years, but when he did see her again, he'd never let her go. He didn't want to this time, but he had to—Rukia was afraid for him, and if he really thought about it, he was, too. He'd rather have her by his side for the next two years and have to worry than to have her gone and be safe._

_But still... _

_... she was going and he wouldn't stop her. She didn't want that. She just wanted him to be safe; and if giving her what she wanted hurt him, then he'd just take it. If he died, it'd hurt her more than them being apart for a short while, and he couldn't rest knowing that he could possibly cause her that kind of pain._

_So, holding her like it was the last time they'd ever be together, he fell asleep, his dreams filled with the girl he loved so much._

— **Present Time, June 16th ****— 7:21 AM **—

It was morning. He knew that much from the light that was shining through the windows. Snow was covering the ground still, but the light was warm on his skin.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun."

With a wince and a groan, Ichigo turned around to see Kai-sensei sitting in the chair beside his bed; the older man was smiling, and his feet were laid up on the bed. He'd most likely been sitting there for a good while.

"Morning," Ichigo said quietly; speaking hurt a little, something he hadn't noticed while arguing with Renji the other day. He turned his gaze back to the ceiling; it was still white.

"Do you feel up to talking now, Kurosaki-kun? Or should I come back later?"

Ichigo shrugged.

"Whatever works for you. I'm fine now."

Kai smiled. "Good."

The silence that fell was short lived, and soon, Kai was talking once more.

"As you know, you passed. You did more than pass; you set several records that I don't doubt will take hundreds of years to break. You won, Ichigo, and no one except for a very skilled third year has ever won against Daigo-sensei in an exam."

Ichigo smirked; he knew what was coming. Thanks to Misa, of course, who just loved to listen in on conversations.

Kai continued.

"I've talked it over with both Kashino-sama and Daigo-sensei, of course, and we all believe that it would be best to move you directly into the third year. It would be a waste of valuable time to have you go through another year of training that you don't need," he explained; he was smiling the whole time. "We don't need your agreement, but it would be nice. So, what do you say?"

"Sure."

"Wow, that was quick."

Ichigo shrugged and laughed a tiny bit.

"I just want to graduate as soon as possible. Rukia... I want to be back with her."

Kai nodded and smiled softly before standing to his feet and walking to the door. Before he walked out, however, he turned back and said, "I'm sorry about all this. If I could have had my way, Rukia-san would still be here with us. But... not many people are willing to go against Kuchiki-sama. He's very powerful, and he usually gets what he asks for. In the end, I don't think anyone could have stopped him."

"Hn," was all Ichigo said as he turned on his side and looked away from his teacher.

"But I wish you the best of luck, Ichigo," he whispered, using Ichigo's given name for the first time since the orange-haired teen had come to the academy.

And then, he walked out, leaving Ichigo alone.

— **June 8th **—

_Rukia sighed and shuffled her feet on the carpet; she was waiting. Waiting for Kuchiki-sama to arrive and take her away to a place where she had no friends, no family... and a place where Ichigo couldn't follow._

_And Kuchiki-sama was late._

_She sighed again, clasping her hands tightly in her lap as she tried to hold back tears. Ichigo hadn't even said goodbye. He'd been avoiding her all morning. But maybe it was for the best; saying goodbye would be the hardest thing she'd ever done._

_A single tear slipped unnoticed from her sad, violet eyes. But before she could wipe it away, a soft, yet rough hand touched her cheek. She looked up, violet eyes wide._

_"I couldn't let you go without saying goodbye," he whispered, holding her tightly as she threw herself into his arms. "I couldn't do it. I can't let you leave without holding you once more."_

_She cried freely into his chest as he held her. The room around them was silent; they were the only two people there. _

_"Y-you're not s-supposed to be i-in here," Rukia whispered, afraid to speak louder for fear that he'd just disappear._

_"I know. But... what the hell, ya know? I mean, I'm not gonna see you again for a year or two. There's no damn rule that can keep me from saying goodbye. I don't care if I have to clean toilets for a week."_

_Rukia laughed, then moved back a little. She stared into the intense, amber eyes before her, then leaned forward and gently kissed him. She put all of her feelings—her fear, her pain... her love—into that kiss, and it nearly made her cry again._

_When Ichigo broke the kiss, he laid his forehead on hers and smiled before reaching into his pocket._

_"I know you said no, but Rukia... I want you to have this," he said, smiling as he pulled out a small ring. It was a golden color, and in the middle, there was a tiny, yet beautiful, diamond. It shone in the light, and as Ichigo took her hand and gently put it on her finger, she smiled, staring at her hand for a second before holding it to her chest and closing her eyes happily._

_"I'll never take it off."_

**— Present Time, 10: 30 AM** —

"How are you feeling, Kurosaki-kun?" Daigo asked, smiling as the young teen walked into his room. Both were feeling much better after the nurse and doctor had healed them further.

"Ah... good," Ichigo replied, sitting down in the single chair beside Daigo's bed. "Listen... are you guys really skipping me into the third year? I somehow feel like... I don't deserve it."

"You deserve it more than anyone else, Kurosaki-kun," Daigo said, pulling himself into a sitting position in the pure white bed. He winced a few times, but once he was settled, it seemed that his pain had subsided. "I can't think of anyone else who deserves it more. Even though you came in the middle of the year, you surpassed everyone in the first year. You even pulled yourself together and got top grades in your weak classes, Basic Knowledge and Kido. I know... I know you're still hurting from Rukia-san leaving us, but... I think that's why you've fought so hard."

"Suppose so," Ichigo mumbled, folding his hands together as he tried to avoid Daigo's gaze.

"It's true that I suggested putting you in the third year because your skills surpass that of any young student. But I also did it because I want you to be back with Rukia-san as soon as possible. I know you two shared a rare bond; I don't think even separation could pull you apart. You don't see that in many young people."

Ichigo felt himself smiling a little. "Thanks, Sensei."

Daigo nodded and smiled, closing his eyes. "You're welcome, Kurosaki-kun. Oh, and when you _do_ graduate with flying colors, I think I'll recommend you be put in Ukitake-san's division—the thirteenth. I do believe they need a vice captain." He paused and laughed. "Their previous Vice gave up the position for a less dangerous position when his wife gave birth to their daughter this spring."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Vice-captain? Surely you have to pass lots of tests, and I don't think I could—"

"You can. Just believe in yourself, and work your hardest. I do have a lot of influence in the workings of the divisions, you know. Just keep an open mind. And you'd better be going. I think you still have a few exams to take..."

Ichigo grinned and stood up. He bowed, and was about to walk out of the room when Daigo added,

"By the way, Kurosaki-kun... I'll have you know that Rukia-san was placed into the thirteenth division, also."

Ichigo's eyes grew wide, and then he walked out the door, whispering, "I could say thank you a million times, and it probably wouldn't be enough," before closing it behind him.

Daigo just laughed and sighed.

"Good luck, Kurosaki. You're gonna need it."

* * *

_Weeeeell..._ that took a long time to write! I had horrible writers block on this one! And YES, I did do a huge time-skip. Sorry, but I wasn't getting anywhere just writing it day by day. Don't me mad!

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** There are a few things I should point out so no one's confused.

**—1**— Kaien is the 13th division vice; he moved down when his wife, Miyako, gave birth to their daughter. This is AU. He is not dead in this fic.  
**—2**— Yes, Renji and Misa are BF and GF. It happened somewhere in the time-skip. More will be explained next chapter.  
**—3****—** Renji was in Ichigo's Zanpaktou and Kido classes **only** because he was falling behind. He IS a year ahead. Or... was. Now he and Ichi are in the same year.  
—**4**— A question I had asked in a review for the last chapter about the pregnancy scare: Yes, I _am_ married.  
—**5**— Yes, this is almost five thousand words.  
—**6**— I don't think I have aything else to explain. But if you have questions, feel free to ask! I might not answer them all though, depending on how much of the later chapters it'd give away.  
—**7**— I have NO IDEA how long it'll take to update! It could be three days, or three weeks! SORRY!

Anyway...

**_Please Review!_**


	16. Falling Apart

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

**— NOTE: —**

Normal writing — Current time  
_Italics with a **noted time — **_Flashbacks_  
Normal Italics — Thinking, or inner speaking_

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Sixteen**

— **June 8th ****— Present Time, 2:10 PM** —

"Pencils down, please!"

As the loud, commanding voice broke through the silence and tension in the large room, Ichigo sighed and dropped his pencil on his desk; the teacher soon came around and collected his test, which was only mostly finished—he hadn't had time to finish the last three questions. Sadly, even if one was going to be placed a whole year ahead, one still had to take the end of year exams for his current year.

Which, by the way, was annoying.

Makoto-sensei looked back at his students, who were all sitting quietly, waiting.

"You can go now," he said, waving his hand, not even bothering to look back as everyone quickly and noisily crowded out of the room. Ichigo bolted from his desk and was one of the first out of the door and into the sunshine. Misa wasn't far behind, and as soon as she caught up, she sighed deeply.

"I _sooo_ failed."

Ichigo laughed a little bit as she stuck out her bottom lip and pouted.

"You did come here in the middle of the year, you know. You can't _possibly_ pass everything."

"Yeah, but you came in mid-year, too! And _you're_ being skipped into the third year, while I'm gonna have to take summer classes. Diago-sensei has already got my schedule packed with classes so I can release my Zanpaktou by the start of next term."

More sighing, more pouting, and more silence.

It was broken, however, as soon as they came to the entrance of Renji's class; he was just finishing up his last end of term exam. And, as such, he was ecstatic.

"I'm done, I'm done, _I'm done_!"

He was bouncing off the walls as Misa smiled and walked up to him. He grabbed her unexpectedly in a bear hug and held her close; Ichigo smiled as he watched Misa blush deeply; every eye was on them. Several kids shook their heads and one, a rather tall, lanky guy, mumbled "Not _another_ girl..." quietly under his breath; Renji didn't miss it.

"What exactly do'ya mean by that?" he asked, dropping Misa's hand and walking straight up to the boy; even though Renji was tall, he still fell a few inches shorter than his opponent.

"I _mean_ I feel sorry for any girl that gets screwed over by you," said the older boy, who Ichigo knew was Daiki, a third year. "But..." he continued, "I suppose she's _different_."

"Right in one, smart ass," Renji replied, smirking as Misa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Ichigo just sighed and leaned against the wall, watching as Daiki and Renji continued to yell at each other.

Only three hundred and sixty-five days to go.

_—** February 14th **—_

_"And _why_ did I agree to do this again?"_

_"Because I said you had to."_

_"And why did I ever listen to you in the first place?"_

_"Because you love me."_

_"And what does that have to do with anything?"_

_Rukia only smiled._

_"Just shut up and pay attention. Look... all you have to do is put this in Renji's desk," she said, shoving a bright red, heart covered piece of paper into Ichigo's hands. Said orange-haired teen stared at it like it was likely to eat him at any moment._

_"And if he catches me?"_

_"Claim it's yours."_

_"Oh, right. So what? Was I too scared to admit my undying love for him in public?"_

_"Something like that."_

_Rukia smiled so brightly that Ichigo would have thought she'd just received the biggest stuffed bunny in the whole world if he hadn't known what she was really up to._

_"Fine. But you owe me big for this, Miss Matchmaker!"_

_Rukia just grinned and ran off as Ichigo rolled his eyes, questioned his sanity again, and quickly slipped into Renji's classroom._

— **Present Time, 7:00 PM **—

"I had nothing to do with it, Kashino-sensei," Ichigo stated plainly, shrugging as Renji glared at him. "It was all Daiki-kun and Renji."

"Then how did you cut your lip?"

Ichigo frowned as he reached up and pressed his fingers to his lower lip; he winced, and when he drew them away, there was blood on them. "Ahh... that must have happened when Renji pushed me to the ground as he was madly charging at Daiki, Kashino-sensei."

For a split second, Ichigo was sure that the school master, who was supremely pissed off, was going to make him clean toilets or something, but then... he just sighed.

"All right, then Kurosaki-kun, you're free to go. You two, however..."

Without waiting to hear another word, Ichigo ran. He knew this was going to be bad; Kashino would probably give Renji a second black eye to match his first. Of course, the hot-headed idiot probably deserved it. Who in their right mind got into a fist fight with teachers all around? If he'd wanted to beat Daiki to a pulp—and Daiki was a whole lot worse off, so Renji had succeeded in the "beating" part—he should have waited until after dark, or whatever people did in those manga books that Misa was always reading.

Oh, well. Now all there was left to do was go back to the dorms and wait for Renji.

But as he climbed the stairs, he sighed and let the smile drop off of his lips. Whenever he was alone, or when the excitement wore off after a long day, he found himself thinking about Rukia, and wishing he had never let her go.

When he finally reached his room, he dropped onto his bed with one last sigh and flicked his light off, with the hopes of getting a few minutes of sleep before Renji burst into the room, ranting and screaming about how sooo unfair Kashino-sensei was.

And, as he slowly slipped off the sleep, with the sun silently slipping below the horizon outside his dirty window, his thoughts and dreams were filled with the girl who was waiting for him.

_—** February 14th **—_

_"I did _not_ write that."_

_Misa's face was bright red, and Renji was grinning; Ichigo, who was hiding behind a large trash bin, had his hand clamped tightly over Rukia's mouth to keep her from breaking out into a horrible, ear-shattering, girlie squeal. He rolled his eyes as she managed a small, happy squeak from behind his hand._

_"I know you didn't," Renji said, laughing and taking the bright red envelope back from the red-faced girl. He looked very amused. "I just wanted to see you blush."_

_Said blush deepened; Renji's smirk grew._

_"So, did you get one from me?"_

_"One what?" Misa asked quickly, breaking eye contact. Renji laughed loudly._

_"A valentine, stupid."_

_"O-oh. Well, I got one... but not from you. I mean, it _says_ it's from you, but it's not. At least I don't think it is. It wouldn't make sense for you to send one to me anyway. That would be silly, huh? I—"_

_Misa's rant was cut short when Renji rolled his eyes, placed his hands on her shoulders, and—_

_"Oh my God! He _kissed_ her!"_

_Rukia had somehow broken free of Ichigo's grasp and was now bouncing in circles. Said orange-haired teen slapped his palm to his forehead and sighed, peeking around the side of the trash bin to stare apologetically at Renji and Misa._

_"Sorry."_

_They simply blinked at him, not quite sure what had just happened._

_"C'mon, Rukia. Let's get out of here before Renji kills us," Ichigo muttered, standing to his feet._

_She was still bouncing and grinning like an idiot as Ichigo grabbed the back of her robes and physically pulled her away from the interrupted love scene. _

_"Yay," she whispered happily as Ichigo finally let go of her robes and she began to bounce along beside him. "He kissed her..."_

_"It's kinda creepy that you're so interested in their love life, Rukia."_

_"So what if I want to see my friends happy?" she asked, her hands on her hips as she walked a few steps ahead of him and glared; she was now walking backward, and Ichigo had to reach forward several times to grab her by the shoulders and gently move her away from random objects._

_"So it's creepy."_

_"Well, they're happy that we're happy, so why can't we be happy that they're happy?"_

_Ichigo blinked._

_"I don't think I've ever heard one person use so many 'happys' in one sentence."_

_"You didn't answer my question."_

_"I didn't intend to."_

_Rukia growled. Ichigo kissed her._

_"Hey! I didn't say you could do that!" she protested, sticking out her bottom lip once Ichigo had pulled back._

_"... Rukia, have I _ever _asked your permission before kissing you?"_

_"Oh... right."_

— **June 9th ****— Present Time, 1:03 AM** —

It was sometime after midnight when Ichigo heard a sort, quick knock on the door. So, groaning deeply and rolling over so fast that he nearly launched himself off the side of his bed, he climbed unsteadily to his feet and wobbled across the room.

When he pulled open the door, he saw Renji on the other side. He didn't have a second black eye yet, but if Ichigo had anything to say about the fact he'd come knocking at one in the morning, he would have a matching one for his left in about three seconds.

"What the hell ya doin' here?" he slurred, leaning against the doorway and wiping his sleepy eyes.

"I need help," Renji said shortly as he bounced back and forth in front of the door, looking around. "Can I come in before someone sees me and reports it?"

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"No!"

Ichigo sighed, then growled, then opened the door wider and walked back inside. Or... he would have, had he not tripped on the air and landed flat on his sleepy face. "Meje, em munna fill fu."

Renji smiled a little as he stared down at Ichigo's unmoving body.

"Come again?"

Ichigo lifted his head a fraction of an inch as Renji closed the door with his foot and preceded to drop down on the bed. "I _said_," Ichigo growled, pulling himself into a sleepy—I mean, sitting—position. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Renji went back to his fidgeting; Ichigo sat down beside him and hugged his pillow as he glared at the red-head.

"So, what's so important that you just _haaaad_ to wake me up at one in the morning?"

"I can't sleep."

"Wonderful. And how does that have _anything_ to do with me?"

"I can't sleep because I wanna ask Misa to marry me."

"Nice. That still doesn't explai—"

Ichigo froze mid-sentence.

"—say what?"

"I want to ask Misa to marry me, and I can't sleep because I don't know if I should... what if it's too soon? What if she doesn't love me? What if she says no? What if—"

"Renji, breathe!"

He paused for a split second, in which he took a huge breath in. Before he could let it out and start talking again, though, Ichigo slapped his hand over Renji's mouth. Not a word was spoken between the two until Ichigo slowly pulled his hand away.

"Speak slowly, and breathe. Now... explain yourself."

Renji took another deep breath in, then started. "I wanna ask Misa to marry me because I love her."

"..."

"..."

"That's it?"

"Yup."

"Nothing dramatic?"

"Nope."

"..."

"Does it have to be anything more?"

"No, I suppose not," Ichigo said thoughtfully. "But if it's just simply because you love her, and not that one of you is gonna die and you want to have a child before the end to preserve your love, or some such _crap_... why_ the hell_ did you wake me up in the middle of the night?"

The last part of his sentence was spoken in a low growl, but Renji barely noticed.

"Because I couldn't sleep."

Ichigo grabbed the pillow he was currently hugging in both hands and hit Renji as hard as he could with it. The red-head sat, dazed, for several seconds before grabbing the second—although smaller—pillow. He was grinning, his troubles momentarily forgotten.

"This... means war!"

What with all the noise they made that night, Ichigo was sure they'd woken every single student in the dorms, but no one came to yell at them, so maybe, just maybe...

— **June 9th ****— 8:10 AM** —

"Do you know why you are here?"

"Nope," Renji said, shrugging and yawning once more as he tried to avoid Kashino sensei's glare. Ichigo just sighed and slumped further down in his chair.

"You, Abarai-kun and Kurosaki-kun, are here because you, Abarai-kun, were in Kurosaki-kun's room at one in the morning. And not only were you in there after curfew, you were making enough noise to wake the whole school!"

Renji just continued to smirk; he was far too tired and wound up to do anything else, much less care if he was in deep crap.

Kashino-sensei sighed deeply before dropping into his chair.

"What am I going to do with you?"

The question seemed like it didn't need an answer, since there was simply nothing that could be done to make Renji less wild, so neither boy said anything.

"Just be glad," Kashino-sensei said, standing from his chair to begin pacing. "That it's the end of term. I'm not able to give you detention, because you're both leaving the campus today."

"Yeah... about that..."

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?" Kashino said, turning to face the orange-haired boy.

"I don't have anywhere to go."

"What do you mean? You must have come from somewhere."

"Yeah, so what? I'm not going back to that place," he said quietly, his thoughts shifting to the events that had taken place where he had once called home. There was no way he was going back; he didn't want to ever even look at anyone there again; they'd almost killed Rukia, and ruined his life.

"You can come with me and Misa," Renji said right before letting out a record-long yawn.

"... and _Misa_?" Ichigo asked after a second, wondering if something had happened while he wasn't looking; apparently, it had.

"Uh huh. Yeah, c'mon; you'll have fun."

Ichigo shrugged, then let a small smile grace his lips. "Sure, then."

Kashino-sensei nodded, then walked over to the door and opened it. "Now that that's settled... get the hell lost." But he was smiling as Renji and Ichigo yawned their way out into the hallway. Ichigo was about to turn around and ask if teachers were allowed to cuss when the door slammed in his face.

"Wow. I guess we really pissed him off this time, huh?" Renji questioned as they walked along the hall. Ichigo shrugged.

"Yup."

"..."

"Back to my problem!" Renji said, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen over them. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"If you wanna ask her_, ask her._"

"But I don't know if I want to or not."

"Renji?"

"Yeah?"

"I hate you."

"Duly noted."

— **June 9th ****— Kuchiki Mansion - 7:00 AM** —

The small, soft knock on the door was meant to wake her, but all it did was create a pause in the soft, slow trail of tears that was falling down her pale cheeks.

"I'm awake, Kimi-chan," she whispered, trying to make her voice as steady as possible; the little girl knew she was crying again, because she heard this every single morning. But every single morning, she acted like she knew nothing.

Today was different, though.

Five-year-old Kimi slowly opened the door and peeked her tiny head inside; her little hands gripped the wood tightly, and she let her bright blue eyes wander across the room; they landed on the small, shaking figure sitting in the bed.

"Rukia-sama?"

"Please, don't call me sama," Rukia said slowly, wiping away her tears and smiling at the little girl.

"Rukia-s-san, then."

A bright pink blush spread across Kimi's cheeks as she shuffled closer to her new master. Rukia didn't seem mad, so she wasn't being a bad girl, it seemed. She kept moving slowly until she was standing right in front of the huge bed.

"Rukia-san, why are you crying?" Kimi asked, gripping the dark red quilt in both hands to pull herself up onto the bed; Rukia ruffled her hair and said softly,

"Because I miss someone."

"I miss my mommy," Kimi said, smiling sadly; she'd been taken in by Kuchiki-sama after her mother had died when she was three. "Do you miss your mommy, Rukia-san?"

"No, not my mother," she said, smiling down at the little girl. "But I do miss someone whom I love very much. See this? He gave it to me," she said, moving her hand so that the small ring glinted in the light from the window. Kimi's eyes grew wide, and she smiled as she leaned closer and let her tiny fingers rest on the gold band.

"Wow! It's really pretty," she said, beaming up at Rukia.

"I know it is. But I'm still not sure how he managed to get it... that'll have to be something I ask him... when I... see him again."

Her last words were said in more of a hopeful whisper, but Kimi didn't take notice; instead, she jumped off the bed and clasped her hands behind her back as her blond pigtails bounced in the air.

"He must love you lots and lots, Rukia-san."

Rukia smiled as she climbed out of her bed and took the kimono Kimi handed her. She began to clumsily put it on, but Kimi had to help a lot; she was used to putting kimonos on, because she always had to wear one in the Kuchiki mansion.

"Well, I love him lots and lots, too," Rukia finally said as she slipped her hand into the dark purple sleeve.

"Yay! That's good," Kimi said, her voice growing serious. "Because when one person loves another person lots and lots, but the other person doesn't love them back, it's sad."

Rukia nodded and whispered, "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" as Kimi finished tying the obi.

"Yes it is. Now come on, Rukia-san! You're going to be late if we don't hurry. Kuchiki-sama doesn't like waiting... he gets mad at me if I'm late. But he's never mean!" she said quickly, seeing the alarmed look on Rukia's face. "He just gets mad and scolds me. I'm used to it, but I don't want Rukia-san to get in trouble."

The little girl was tugging so hard on Rukia's arm that she couldn't have resisted even if she'd wanted to. So, instead of walking slowly to breakfast tea, the two girls raced down the hall, down the stairs and across the sitting room and into the kitchen; Rukia won, and as she sat down across from Kuchiki-sama, Kimi ran off to get the tea.

"Rukia-san."

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama?" Rukia asked, her bright violet eyes avoiding his gaze as she hastily wiped up the tea she'd spilled in surprise when he'd said her name; he continued to speak.

"I have not told you this before, but there were sacrifices in order to bring you here."

Rukia didn't speak; he took her silence as an understanding and continued.

"Many of the royal family did not want you here; your sister, Hisana, was my wife, and she was not accepted among many of the elders because she was not from a royal family. You are even less welcome. In order for the others to keep quiet and let the adoption go through, I had to make a deal. One that involves you."

Rukia still didn't say anything; instead, she twirled the ring on her finger in circles as Byakuya's piercing gaze settled on her anxious face.

"An arranged marriage was set up between you and Narita Kaemon. I expect you to fully embrace the arrangement."

Rukia's violet eyes grew wide, and she looked up quickly; her gaze fell on Byakuya's emotionless eyes; he didn't seem to care to hear her response, and went back to sipping his morning tea.

"But Kuchiki-sama! I... I love Ichigo! I can't—"

"Do not speak against me, Rukia," he said warningly as he set his tea down and stood to his feet. He turned his back on her as tears began to fall once more.

"I won't marry anyone else," she said firmly as she hastily wiped her tears away. "I love Ichigo; I won't betray him."

"And I will not betray this family's honor!" Byakuya shouted, his voice ringing throughout the room. Rukia winced as he turned around and caught her gaze once more. "I will not let this family's honor be crushed. I will not let Hisana's honor be crushed. I made a promise to her before she died... I said I would find you and protect you, and this is the only way I know how. If you do not marry Narita-sama, you will be cast out and hated. I am preserving _your_ honor as well, Rukia."

"But I—"

"Do not speak against me anymore," he said, turning his back once more. "The wedding will take place at the beginning of autumn."

As soon as he left the room, Rukia let her shaking hand fall from her tea cup; Kimi caught it before it fell off of the table and splashed across the carpet.

"Rukia-san? Are you all right?" she asked, leaning down beside the broken-hearted girl. "Does this mean you don't love Ichigo-kun anymore?" she asked, repeating the name she had heard Rukia yell only minutes before.

"I'll never stop loving him," she said. "Even if my life falls apart, I'll never love anyone else."

* * *

Well, I've been planning that since chapter 2, so I'm glad I finally got it out there. _(Runs away from mad readers) _Sorry! But that's just how it has to go. Oh, and on another note, I think this story might be... 6 or 7 more chapters. And I already know what I'm gonna write next!

Sneak Preview!!

----------------------------------------

**Name:** Wish Upon a Star  
**Rating:** T  
**Summary:** A little girl, who is dying of leukemia, has one wish before she dies; she wants to meet her daddy. And that's what led Dr. Kuchiki Rukia to start the search for Kurosaki Ichigo. But in brightening one little girl's life, she broke another. Now, they both have to watch as the little girl that means so much to them slips away.

----------------------------------------

I don't know how it'll turn out, or if I'll even be able to write it, but I sure want to! It'll be a dramatic one. And I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. I personally think it sucks, but that could have something to do with me having horrible writer's block. Ugh!

**_Please Review!_**


	17. Forgive, Forget

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

**— NOTE: —**

Normal writing — Current time  
_Italics with a **noted time — **_Flashbacks_  
Normal Italics — Thinking, or inner speaking_

* * *

This time, This place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, Too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Seventeen**

— **June 13th ****— Kuchiki Mansion - 6:20 AM** —

"Rukia-san, if you don't want to marry Narita-sama, why don't you just run away?" Kimi asked seriously, her little hands struggling with the hairbrush as she tried to straighten Rukia's messy hair; Kuchiki-sama could force the violet-eyed girl to do many things, but as of yet, he hadn't been able to keep her inside the mansion; she liked to spend her days outside, running in the wind.

As such, her hair was _always_ a mess.

"I can't just run away," Rukia said quietly, sighing as she folded her hands in her lap.

"Why not?" Kimi asked, her little pink tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth as she struggled with a particularly hard knot.

"Because it... because it wouldn't solve anything. I could go running back to Ichigo... but Kuchiki-sama would send someone to look for me, and Ichigo, being the thickheaded idiot he is, would try and fight... and then..."

She broke off and shook her head, her lips pressed together in a firm line.

"Rukia-san? Is Ichigo-kun gonna come and save you?"

Rukia felt a tiny smile tugging at her lips a she turned around to see the little girl on the verge of tears.

"Because I don't want Rukia-san to be sad!" Kimi continued, her bottom lip jutting out in a loudly proclaimed pout. "And Ichigo-kun is the only one who can make you happy, so... so... "

As Kimi broke out into loud, shaking sobs, Rukia reached out to hold her. Even though she'd only known the little girl for a short time—not much longer than a week—she couldn't bare to see the small, sparkling tears slowly making their way down Kimi's pale cheeks; her bright eyes were filled with them as they spilled over.

"Well, I don't want _you_ to be sad, Kimi," Rukia said slowly, softly, her violet eyes twinkling as she stared down at the small, sobbing girl. "So wipe your tears away and smile for me, all right?"

"Ho-how can I b-be happy when Ru-Rukia-san is s-sad?" Kimi asked, reaching a shaking hand up to hastily wipe away the tears that were so quickly replaced by others.

"Because Rukia-san isn't sad," Rukia said, letting a smile flow over her lips. "Rukia-san is annoyed at her Nii-sama, though. Very annoyed indeed. I mean... really! I've been here a week, and he's already trying to control my life. Baka."

Kimi laughed, and Rukia took that as a good sign. Soon, the tears were gone and were replaced by a watery smile as the little girl jumped off the side of the bed and grabbed a few hair clips before returning to her abandoned job. Soon, Rukia's hair was piled on top of her head, a few loose strands framing her small, pale face perfectly. Kimi smiled as she wiped away the last tear that was clinging to her eyelash.

"There! Now, Rukia-san's hair is very pretty."

Rukia smiled happily.

"It won't last an hour," she said, laughing. Kimi joined in, and as a light rain began falling, they both forgot about everything that would take away the happiness that they were granted for such a short time.

— **June 13th - 6:32 AM** —

The rain had started _pouring _before they'd even began walking away from the school, their bags over their shoulders. Ichigo was mumbling under his breath. Renji could barely understand what he was saying, but what he did understand, Rukia would have been proud of.

"Wow, dude... you have a colorful vocabulary," Renji said, laughing as he slapped Ichigo on his very wet, soggy back. The rain was good for one thing, though—Renji seemed to have forgotten all his worry in asking Misa to marry him, and was completely at ease.

"Well, unlike _some people_, I hate traveling in the rain."

"So do I!" Renji defended himself, as if he thought Ichigo was speaking about him. But Ichigo shook his head and pointed a finger in Misa's direction; she was walking around happily, her hands stretched out as she tried to catch the rain on her tongue.

Renji rolled his eyes.

"Women."

However, less than ten minutes later, even Misa was cursing the unforgiving, pounding rain.

"I hate rain."

"Five minutes ago, you loved it."

"Yeah? Well, _now_ I hate it."

"Moody."

"I am not moody! I just wasn't so soaked I could barely walk five minutes ago!"

"You were _trying_ to get soaked, baka."

"... whatever."

Renji grinned in triumph, but as he walked under a large cedar tree, it suddenly dumped all the water it had been carrying in it branches on him. The smile dropped from his face, and the next few minutes were traveled in silence. Misa and Renji, however, didn't fail to notice that Ichigo was staring blankly off into the distance as he moved slowly along. They shared a look, and then turned their gazes toward the orange-haired boy in front of them.

"Thinking about Rukia again?" Renji asked, biting his lip as he waited for a response. No one had mentioned Rukia in quite a while, so he wasn't sure how Ichigo would react. He didn't need to be worried though, because Ichigo didn't even turn around. Instead, he whispered quietly,

"... Yeah, I suppose so. Hard not to, ya know?"

Renji nodded, but then, realizing that Ichigo couldn't see him, he said quietly, "Yeah, suppose so."

Silence once again fell until Ichigo spoke again. This time, his words were so quite they were barely heard.

"Do you think she's happy?"

Renji shrugged as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He was about to say something along the lines of, "Yeah, I'm sure she is", when Misa elbowed him in the stomach. While he was busy fighting to get his breath back, she spoke up.

"I'm sure she's happy with her decision, because it was the right thing to do—the only thing to do—but she's probably not completely happy... because you're not there with her. I'll bet you anything, she would give up all the beautiful, expensive things being offered to her just to see you again."

Ichigo's simple reply was, "Oh," as they continued to walk through the rain. But soon, he let them catch up and started to talk with them; Misa's words were exactly what he needed to hear, and he let himself smile again as Renji continued to whine about the rain, which, if anything, was just falling harder.

"Hey, Renji..."

"... and this freaking rain—huh?"

He paused in his whining for a few seconds as he turned around to face the orange-haired teen.

"Say something?"

"Yeah. I was wondering... exactly where _do_ you live?" Ichigo asked, frowning; it hadn't even occurred to him to ask before, but now he was curious. He knew from previous conversations that Renji lived in the twenty-fifth district, but beyond that, he hadn't a clue.

"Ah... now _that's _an interesting story."

Ichigo gestured to the miles and miles of forest around them.

"I've got time," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes; Misa laughed and shook her head in a desperate attempt to get rid of some of the water in her eyes while Renji shrugged and took a breath in before he started talking.

"I came to Soul Society when I was eleven, and like every new kid, I stole to survive. Sometimes, people would give me clothes or food, but basically I was on my own."

"Get to the point," Misa sighed, grinning despite herself.

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there. Can't a guy be sentimental?"

"Not when patience is running thin and rain is pouring down."

"_Whatever_."

Ichigo laughed and fleetingly wondered if he and Rukia fought like that; not willing to give in, and not willing to give up... yet with a happy glow in their eyes, as if they were fighting just to hear the others voice, and in the end, didn't care who won, so long as they never had to let go.

"_Anyway_," Renji continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets, as if the soggy cloth would actually offer any warmth. "When I was twelve, some guy—he couldn't have been older then eighteen—took me in. He gave me food, a bed, and clothes, so I didn't complain. Even in the twenty-fifth district, a lot of kids still live on the streets, and when offered a home, they don't complain.

"Soon after, I asked if another kid could stay with us. He was new to Soul Society, and was probably... _maybe_ three years old. When I found him he was in pretty bad shape... I couldn't just leave him there."

As Renji took a deep breath in before continuing, Misa squealed something along the lines "_Awwww!_ How _sweet!_"

"And from that point on—" Renji said, giving Misa a pointed look that said something along the lines of Speak-again-and-you're-dead. "—the small house basically became a refuge for any kid looking for a home."

Ichigo was silent for a second.

"And exactly how many are there now?"

"Oh, they come and go... when I left, there were seven boys and two girls."

"..."

Ichigo was speechless.

"I am so _not_ spending my summer with a bunch of... of... _kids_."

Renji gave a deep, loud laugh as he continued to slush through the mud and the pouring rain.

"Consider it practice for when you have a herd of mini-Ichigo and Rukia's running around."

"And what do you mean by that, _exactly_?" Ichigo asked, thankful for the rain to hide the tiny blush on his cheeks. Sure, he'd thought about some mini-Rukia's—quite a few times, actually... and exactly how these mini's would come to be—but he wasn't telling Renji _that_.

"Oh, come on," Misa said, laughing as she began to walk backward; her steps were a little clumsy, but she would do just about anything to see the look on Ichigo's face when she spoke her next words. "Everyone knows you and Rukia are already jumping each other's bones."

"We... I... she... ARE NOT!"

Ichigo's ears were turning red as he tried to block out any and all mental pictures of bones and/or jumping; it wasn't working. Renji was howling with laughter, and Misa had stumbled over her own feet; she was sitting in a puddle of mud, her bright eyes shut tightly as she giggled. Ichigo rolled his eyes and stuck out a hand; she grabbed it and he hauled her to her very unsteady feet.

As soon as everyone's laughter, and, in Ichigo's case, extreme embarrassment, died, Renji managed to string a few words together.

"We're almost there. 'Bout an hour and a half, tops."

— **June 13th - 5:10 PM** —

'About an hour and a half, tops' turned into three hours, and by the time Ichigo had sloshed his way inside the small house, he was ready to commit a mass homicide. So, in order to save the lives of the cute, innocent children blinking up at him, he retreated to the room that Renji had informed him that they would be sharing over the summer and collapsed in an undignified heap on the bed.

"That's mine, dude. You're sleeping on the floor."

"Way to treat your guest," Ichigo mumbled, his words barely legible as he spoke into the pillow; he paid no attention as Renji tried to swat him off of the bed.

"Yeah, well... it's been my bed since the day I came here, and it's gonna stay that way. Oh, and just so ya know, Misa is helping Ayame-san and Sora-chan in the kitchen, so dinner should be ready in twenty minutes."

"Tops?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow and he flipped his head to the side so he could speak without being muffled by the pillow.

"Yes, _tops_."

"Like, and here, lemme quote, _"an hour and a half"_ tops?"

Renji rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at Ichigo before walking into the tiny bathroom.

"I'm gonna clean up. Now get your muddy ass off of my bed and get changed before you even _think_ of sleeping."

Ichigo grumbled a few very colorful words under his breath before he managed to haul his aching, soaking bones off of the warm, inviting bed. After a quick change of clothes—muddy jeans and sweater swapped for clean ones—and a quick clean-up, he was ready. And just in time, for as he closed the bathroom door and began entertaining thoughts of kicking Renji off of the bed, Misa walked in; she was grinning from ear to ear, and there was a little girl at her side.

"Dinner's ready," she informed them. Then, looking at the other girl, she said, "Sora-chan, would you go tell the other boys?"

The little girl nodded and ran out, her messy, black hair flowing as she shuffled out of sight.

Ichigo sighed, looking from the door to the bed, then back again. He quickly decided that food was more important than sleep and began to trudge his way down the hall. His bare feet were warm on the wooden floor, and as the rain continued to beat unforgiving against the roof, he was suddenly thankful for a place to sleep and food to eat.

His good mood continued until he walked into the kitchen to see six pairs of happy eyes blinking up at him.

He blinked back.

He never _was_ good with kids...

"Um... hi?"

There were two girls—Sora-chan, and a slightly older girl, who was probably around ten or so, who Ichigo was sure was Ayame—and five young boys. None of them were as young as Sora, but none were older than twelve.

"Hello," the youngest boy mumbled shyly, his blue eyes not meeting Ichigo's own amber ones. As soon as Renji walked in the kitchen, however, the little boy's eyes adopted a happy glow as he glomped the red-haired man.

"Renji-kun-kun!"

As Renji was attacked by all of the children, Ichigo stole a few moments to look around the small room. There was a large table in one end with long, wooden benches on each side. Ten small bowls were set neatly with a spoon by each, and there was a large pot in the middle of the table; the most wondrous smell was coming from it, and mixed with the smell of the simmering tea, it was the best thing Ichigo had seen all day.

His stomach grumbled.

The little boy laughed happily and grabbed Ichigo's hand, his shyness gone in seconds as he led the line toward the table.

"Hoshi-sama isn't here tonight... he's gone hunting. So, Renji-kun-kun is in charge. My name is Haruki, and it means 'Shining Brightly'," the little boy said proudly, grinning brightly and showing off his missing teeth. Ichigo ruffled his dirty blond hair and then sat down in the seat that Haruki had revealed was his.

"I'm Kana," a second, darker haired boy spoke up. His courage toward the tall-and-orange man seemed to quickly spread throughout the room, and soon, the other three boys—Ryo, Mizu, and Tsubasa—had introduced themselves, too. Soon, bowls and spoon were clanging loudly and the kitchen was filled with excited conversation. Every single one of the little boys was fighting for the place beside Renji, but eventually, Haruki won and they all settled into a hyper, happy day-by-day re-telling of everything that had happened while Renji was off at school.

"Samuru left, 'cause he found his family. Isn't that great?"

"I lost another tooth!" Haruki said, showing off the large gap. Renji beamed; he didn't seem to mind his sudden popularity; in fact, he seemed used to it.

"Yeah, well, I broke my arm!" Mizu challenged.

"I ate a lizard!"

"I set the barn on fire!"

"..."

"..."

"How _in the world_ did you manage that, Tsubasa?" Renji asked, his eyebrows raised. The oldest boy, Tsubasa, blushed deeply and seemed to melt in his chair. Soon, all Ichigo could see of him was a mess of brown hair sticking up from under the table.

"I dunno..."

Laughter erupted around the table, and the rest of the meal went by in a blur; Ichigo had _never_ heard so many little voices speak at once, and he really had to admire Renji for being able to keep up with each and every word. Ichigo, however, was quite overwhelmed by the sudden need to get to know seven new people, so right after dinner, he bowed politely to everyone in the room and bid them goodnight. Then, he quickly slipped off to the room he was sharing with Renji and threw himself onto the bed with a loud thunk.

"That's mine."

Ichigo hadn't even heard Renji enter the room.

"Ite be core id."

"Come again?"

Renji was highly amused as Ichigo sleepily pulled his head away from the large, red pillow and said, more clearly this time, "Fight me for it."

Renji rolled his his sleeves, and smirked happily.

"It would be my pleasure."

— **June 13th —Kuchiki Mansion - 6:30 PM** —

"Rukia-san, did you know that Narita-sama is captain of the eleventh division?"

Kimi was balancing on the edge of Rukia's bed as she revealed this information; Rukia shook her head and gripped her blanket closer to her small, thin body. Kimi looked concerned at her silence, but didn't comment.

"No, I didn't, Kimi-chan. How did you find out?"

"I heard it from Kokoro! She's been telling me lots, because she knows lots. Oh," she said, upon seeing Rukia's confused look, "Kokoro-san is my friend. She works in the kitchen, so I see her often. Anyway," she continued, pouring Rukia a cup of tea from the small pot beside her bed and handing it to her, "she said that Narita is captain, and that he is very kind to his division. But I don't think I like him very much. He doesn't seem very... very..."

She couldn't come up with a word that could explain her childish dislike for the man, so she was content in just shrugging randomly.

"He's one of the only captains, though, that doesn't have Bankai, Kokoro said. And—"

She was cut off as Rukia accidentally dropped her tea cup, for her hands were shaking.

"Rukia-san, are you feeling all right?" she asked, worriedly, grabbing an extra cloth and wetting it before touching it to Rukia's warm skin.

"Yes, Kimi-chan... I just feel a little sick to my stomach, and so tired. I... don't really feel up to eating dinner. Could you apologize to Kuchiki-sama for me?" Rukia said weakly, leaning back on her bed and taking a breath in; she'd been feeling a little sick for several hours, but hadn't said anything, not wanting to worry Kimi.

And Kimi, who usually didn't like even having to speak to Kuchiki-sama much, nodded bravely and jumped off of the bed, putting Rukia's spilled tea cup back in place before she walked quickly and silently out of the room, letting the door close behind her. She ran through the halls, and as soon as he footsteps faded away, Rukia sat up a little, but immediately fell back onto the bed when a wave of dizziness took over her.

She sighed and looked out he window, letting the beauty of the sunset wash over her as she tried to make herself comfortable to no avail.

"Ichigo... wherever you are... " she mumbled quietly, her eyes drooping in sleepiness, "... forgive me, and don't forget me."

* * *

_Hmm..._ still took me a while to write, but not too long. I hope you enjoyed it!! I feel as though nothing got accomplished, but oh, well. It needed to happen. Now, everyone is settled down for the summer...

_**—NEXT CHAPTER—**_ Ichigo learns of the arranged marriage!! What will he do? Will he kick Byakuya's ass? So you want me to make him kick Byakuya's ass? Because I _**DO** _take my reviewers opinions into account, ya know!

**_Please Review!!_**


	18. Possibilities

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

**— NOTE: —**

**Normal writing —** Current time  
_Italics with a noted time — _Flashbacks_  
Normal Italics — Thinking, or inner speaking_

* * *

_This time, this place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?_

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Eighteen**

**— June 29st — Twenty-fifth District, Rukongai - 8:21 AM —**

"Wake up, _LazyButt-san_!"

Ichigo groaned deeply, and as he shifted around, it suddenly occurred to him that he had lost the fight for the bed—as he had each night for the lasttwo weeks that he'd been staying with Renji and his family—and had ended up on the floor, the hard, wooden boards once again digging into his stomach. 

He groaned again and another pillow hit into his head.

"Up, up, _up_, LazyButt-san!"

As he rolled over onto his back, he quickly focused his gaze on the bright blue eyes that were sparkling so happily at getting away with being so openly disrespectful to anyone. Ichigo admired it, although he would have respected the kid more if he'd managed to drop the "san". He was probably pushing it as he was, though, so he was forgiven.

"Get _uuuuuuuuup_ already!" Haruki whined loudly, his blue eyes rolling as his small hands tugged on the loose blanket that covered Ichigo's body. Another groan was given in response to the desperate efforts of the five-year-old boy; Ichigo didn't feel like moving, so Ichigo wasn't _going_ to move. 

Simple as that.

"Misa-san said that you don't get any breakfast if you don't get up _now_!"

Oh, so Misa-san didn't have a horrible nickname. Sure, they were always nice to the girl, but—

Wait a second.

"What was that about breakfast?" Ichigo asked urgently, moving so quickly that he made Haruki topple over onto his backside; the little boy grinned in accomplishment as he rubbed what was sure to turn into a bruise later before saying matter-of-factly, "No food for LazyButt-san if he doesn't get up... now. _Oh_! And Hoshi-sama is finally home from his trip! You get to meet him!"

Ichigo quickly kicked his blanket to the side and stumbled out of the bedroom, Haruki right on his heals as he followed his nose toward the wonderful, wonderful smell wafting out of the kitchen. 

When he got there, every single person that lived in the small house was there—Misa and Renji included, along with the two other girls, five boys and an older man, who Ichigo knew was Hoshi-sama even before he stood from the table and introduced himself.

"I'm Kawazaki Hoshi. Good morning, Kurosaki-kun," he said, grabbing Ichigo hand and pumping in a firm, shaking motion. "It's nice to meet you. Renji's been telling me allabout you."

"Don't listen to a thing he says," Ichigo said urgently, his eyes wide. 

Hoshi laughed a deep, rumbling laugh, surprising Ichigo greatly. When he had finally composed himself, he shook his head and his smile widened; Ichigo could quickly see why Renji and all the other kids respected this man so much.

"Don't worry, it was all good. Well... mostly, that is. "

Ichigo shot a curious look over to Renji, who was now helping Misa take the breakfast bowls to the table. Haruki quickly volunteered to help, too, but Renji simply grabbed the little boy and swung him up onto his shoulders; Haruki squealed happily and gripped onto Renji's hair for balance. Shaking his head at the three, Ichigo turned back to the man in front of him.

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Hoshi-sama," he said sincerely. 

Then, the largest grin of all spread over Hoshi's face. "Oh... and while we're on that specific topic ... "

"Oh, boy," was Ichigo's only response as Hoshi continued.

"Everyone around here pulls their own weight. If you're staying for the summer, you're gonna have to help out."

Ichigo shrugged; that sounded fair. They were, after all, letting him stay over all through the summer holidays. "Sure."

Hoshi smiled and picked up his spoon to begin eating the food that Ichigo hadn't noticed had been laid in front of them. He took a bite, then turned and said, "Good. To start, you and Renji can go do the shopping in town. It's market day, and we have a whole list of things we're going to need to need for the week. I take it... you _do_ know how to shop, right?"

Ichigo was about to reply that, no, he didn't, because he'd almost never bought anything; he stole. But he figured it wouldn't be the best thing to blurt out, so he merely shrugged.

"Sure. 'Course I do."

**— 9:34 AM —**

_"Sure. 'Course I do"_ turned out to be a complete lie. He had _no idea_ what the _hell_ he was doing. 

So, after many, many mess-ups which included but weren't limited to giving people too much money or getting the wrong items, Renji shoved the basket in his hands and took over the actual shopping, an arrangement which Ichigo was completely fine with. Sure, the basket continued to get heavier and heavier and heavier with each bundle of meat, vegetables or fruit that was put in it, and the sun was beating down on his head relentlessly, but oh, well!

He hadn't noticed that he had begun grumbling his complaints under his breath until Renji turned around to look at him.

"Hurry up, and stop _whining_."

Ichigo continued to walk at his slow, annoying pace. 

Renji tapped his foot.

"Some Shinigami you're gonna make," he commented, rolling his eyes and smirking. Ichigo smirked back.

"Yeah? Tell that to the people who decided that I was good enough to be skipped a year ahead. Ya know... into _your_ class."

Renji just snorted and threw a very heavy pile of fish into the basket. Ichigo uttered a small "oof" and gripped it with both hands as he felt it slipping through his fingers. As he stumbled along, he heard Renji howling with laughter.

_If looks could kill _...

"If I could actually lift this thing above my head, I'd throw it at you!"Ichigo yelled, finally giving in and setting the overflowing basket on the dirty ground. Renji stopped walking and threw him a curious glance.

"I'm _resting_," Ichigo answered the unspoken question. "And I have reason to believe that you have added at least fifty pounds to this basket that was _not_ on the list. You _like_ torturing me, don't ya?"

Renji could only shrug; he couldn't deny it. On the bright side, they wouldn't have to shop next week... or the week after... or they could prepare a feast for the whole district...

"... and... Renji?"

The red-head snapped his head around, broken from his thoughts, just in time to see Ichigo throw a glare at him.

"As I was _saying_," he continued, rolling his eyes and heaving the basket up again before repeating the words that Renji had so obviously missed. "We should hurry home. It's almost noon, and Misa threatened us with no lunch if we took too long."

Renji, who was horrified at the thought of no lunch, nodded and threw the final item—black-eyed peas—into the basket and they began the long walk home. The streets were filled with useless chatter between families, friends and random strangers. They were loud, excited, sad, annoyed—every emotion flew through the air. 

"—I'm making something special for the little ones tonight, they deserve it—"

"—How am I going to tell him? I'm _pregnant_, and we've only been going out—"

"—I can't believe they're moving...—"

"—My birthday is tomorrow! Mom is going to get me something special, I just know it!—"

"—Tag, you're it!—"

If anything, all the voices, the emotions, made him happy. It made him realize that he wasn't the only one in the world that was going through hard times. Although, he had to admit, he felt sorry for the poor girl who had to break it to her boyfriend that she was pregnant. 

That brought another thought on.

_"I wonder if someday Rukia will—"_

Ichigo's thoughts, however,were broken off when he heard the name he had just been thinking; his head snapped up and he immediately saw that the voice belonged to a young man; the black robes indicated that he was a Shinigami, but Ichigo couldn't be sure. He didn't care much either. Instead, he stopped in his tracks and listened.

"—Kuchiki-sama's adopted sister... um, Rukia-sama, wasn't it?"

Wow, it sounded weird for Rukia to be addressed as "sama". 

_Way weird_.

"Yeah, it was Rukia-sama. I would know," the second man said with a short laugh as he rolled his eyes. "My stupid Captain won't stop talking about her."

"You'd better be careful," the first warned, running a hand through his blond hair."Narita-sama isn't only your Captain, he's also part of the four noble families. You could seriously get your ass kicked."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Anyway, as I was saying... did ya hear the news? She's _engaged_ already, and they're not going to wait very long for the wedding"

Ichigo didn't hear another word after that. That one—engaged—was quite enough. It made his eyes grow wide and his mind numb as he let every possible explanation run through his head; he couldn't come up with even one that calmed him down in the slightest. 

The one where she'd falling madly in love with a handsome stable boy—completely impossible.

The one where it was _him_ that she was engaged to—a nice thought, but once again, completely impossible.

The one where Kuchiki-what's-his-face was forcing her to marry some stuck up noble—utterly, completely and freakishly possible.

Renji, who had been completely silent up until that very moment, grabbed onto the back of Ichigo's sweater, halting the fuming, orange-haired boy in his tracks only seconds after he'd begun stalking across the town market. He, too, had overheard the two Shinigami talking, and from the way his lips were pressed together tightly and his were eyes flashing, he wasn't very happy; he'd managed to come to the same conclusion as Ichigo had as he said to said, "Where the _hell_ do you think you're going?"

"To break into Seireitei and ring Kuchiki's neck, that's where," Ichigo responded.

"As much as I like the sound of that idea, I don't think it'll go over well with Kuchiki-sama's personal guard. They'll turn you into a pancake, and you won't have done Rukia any good."

"I don't give a damn!" Ichigo yelled, straining against Renji's grip, his amber eyes wide with rage. "I'll kill him if he's forcing her to marry some ... some _asshole_! And I'll kill _her_ if she's managed to _dump me_ that fast!"

"She wouldn't do that, and you know it," Renji said quietly; he knew he had to keep himself calm if he had any hopes of getting Ichigo to the same state.

"I'm gonna kill him! Now _let me go_!"

"Not until you calm down!" Renji yelled, his loud, commanding voice surprising everyone in the streets; even the two Shinigami glanced over at them.

Ichigo growled deep in his throat, his eyes flashing as he stopped struggling in Renji's grasp.

"Calm down a little," the red-haired teen suggested, his voice lower this time.

He breathed in, then out, then in again and held it for ten seconds. When he finally let the last breath out, Renji deemed him calm enough to let go. As soon as Ichigo was out of his grasp, however, he began stalking toward the two Shinigami men, but turned around quickly again and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're right. I need to calm down and think this through. _Then_ I can go kick Kuchiki's ass."

Renji rolled his eyes.

"How about we just stay out of it completely? I mean, if Rukia doesn't want to marry the guy—whoever he is—she won't. We know how thick-headed she is."

"She might not have a _choice_."

And Renji didn't have a doubt in his mind that Ichigo's words were true.

—** June 8th, Flashback - 3:42 AM**—

_It was the middle of the night and he couldn't sleep._

_No..._

_He could sleep, if he wanted to. But that was the problem; he knew if he let his eyes close, he probably wouldn't be able to see her again. _

_So, as Ichigo held Rukia tightly in his arms, the constant reminder that she was leaving him tomorrow—even if only for a short amount of time—lingered in his mind, tormenting him and making it impossible to close his eyes. _

_He only had a few hours left to hold her, to see her..._

_Shivering at the thought of losing someone who he cared for so deeply, he pulled his quilt tighter around her small body and moved her closer to him; she shifted in her sleep and turned over, opening her eyes the smallest bit to stare into his own sleepy gaze._

_"Mmm... chigo?"_

_He gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "I'm here."_

_"Don't leave me."_

_He laughed. "You're the one leaving."_

_"Tonight," she whispered, more awake that he thought she was. "Don't leave me tonight."_

_"I won't. See? Not moving."_

_He wouldn't have even bothered to try and reassure her that he wasn't moving until morning if he hadn't heard the slight tremor in her voice; the fear of loneliness lacing her words._

_She surprised him, however, when she leaned up and pressed her lips to his; desperate to have her close, he took advantage of the situation and wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him as he kissed her back, deepening it as she twisted her hands in his hair._

_Things got intense quickly, and as Ichigo's shirt joined hers on the floor, he had no doubt in him that they would be going all the way tonight; he didn't care. She was clinging to him desperately, as if each touch would be the last—and it could be. _

_By the time his hands caressed her skin—her stomach, her breasts, her shoulders—he knew there would be no stopping; even if they wanted to, they couldn't. As he positioned himself above her and continued a broken kiss, he couldn't help but notice how small she was; he regarded himself as a giant as she squirmed under him, almost completely naked._

_It hurt her at first, but her pain was quickly replaced by pleasure; Ichigo was determined to give her at least that much, and he refused to let himself go until he felt her reach her limit. _

_When it was over, they just held each other, neither wanting to move, but both painfully aware of the seconds, the minutes, that ticked slowly by. When morning came and light began to filter through the window, Rukia silently and softly moved away from his embrace, trying her best not to wake him as she quickly dressed once more._

_But before she walked out of the room, though, she kissed her fingers and pressed them to Ichigo's sleeping lips._

_"I love you."_

_Her voice was just a whisper, but he heard it; it pulled him out of the light sleep that he'd fallen into._

_And, as he watched her walk out of the room, he gripped the tiny ring in his hand; the one he hadn't been able to gather the courage to give her._

_He hadn't even said goodbye._

— **June 29st —Kuchiki Mansion - 11:12 AM** —

"Hello, I'm Unohana-san."

It was the soft, kind voice that made Rukia open her eyes for the first time that day; nothing else had quite seemed worth it. Yet, as her tired eyes settled on an older, smiling woman—her gaze so kind—Rukia couldn't help the small smile that filtered to her pale lips.

"Hello," she said, her voice raspy and quite; Unohana didn't mind much as she set down beside the girl.

"It's nice to meet you, Rukia-sama. Kuchiki-sama sent for me when he realized how sick you were. I'm the Captain of the Forth Division. Can you tell me how you're feeling?"

Rukia took a deep breath in as Unohana helped her to sit up against the pillows. She shrugged, then said, slowly and quietly, "Tired, nauseous. Miserable. Don't want to move. Sick."

A small nod was given with each symptom.When it seemed like the raven-haired girl was finished talking, Unohana reached out and pressed her hand lightly to Rukia's forehead; no fever. Frowning, she checked Rukia's pulse and listened to her breathing closely; it frustrated her when she couldn't just heal someone. But in order to do that, she needed to know what was wrong; if she didn't know, she could hurt her patients worse.

"Anything else? Have you been dizzy?" she asked, frowning as shined a small light into Rukia's eyes.

A small nod.

"Have you passed out?"

"No."

"Any stomach, back or joint pain?"

"No... well, my stomach hurts a little."

"Hurts how?" Unohana asked, curious now. "Like, sick hurt, or like it hurts before your start your monthly cycle?"

"Before my cycle," Rukia mumbled a little, her eyes tired as she closed them and laid back on the pillow. "But worse."

Unohana's lips were pressed tightly together and she began talking quietly to herself, taking mental notes while poking and prodding Rukia in places that were sure to be sore later.

"It's possible... but strange that you'd be so sick early in... Hmm... possibly not, though. I would need to run some tests..."

Her quiet mumbling barely even reached Rukia's ears, but what she did hear had her curious. But, instead of asking, she simply laid back while the Captain checked her over once more. This time, she asked more personal questions, like when her last cycle had been, and had she ever been with a man intimately?

"I'm actually a little late... I was supposed to get it two weeks ago.And yes, I have."

"Are you usually normal?"

"No, not really."

Once more, Unohana was deep in thought.

"Rukia-sama... I think I know what's making you sick. I'll need to test a few things to make sure, but if they don't come up like I'm expecting them to, you can't tell _anyone_. The fact alone that I'm even worried about something like this happening could make Kuchiki-sama very angry. This has never happened to anyone in the Kuchiki family before... at least not before marriage..."

"What is it?" Rukia asked, biting her lip; by now, she was a little worried, and it wasn't helping that the Forth Division _Captain_ was worried, too.

"I should probably ask this before I jump to conclusions..."

Rukia didn't speak; instead, she stared.

"Rukia... is there any possibility that you could be pregnant?"

* * *

_Ouch_! I don't know if people want this, and thus, I have set up a poll in my profile.

**_Vote: Rukia Pregnant or Not_**? _(I'm leaning toward **no**! And if it's yes, she'll probably lose the baby.)_

**NOTE:** Sorry for taking forever. _(Dies_) I have several excuses. See them in my profile notes. Oh, and I am feeling down, so I don't know if this chapter was any good or not. But it's as good as it's gonna get!

_**Please Review!** (And Vote!)_


	19. More Than Life

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

—** NOTE: —**

Normal writing — Current time  
_Italics with a noted time — _Flashbacks_  
Normal Italics — Thinking, or inner speaking_

* * *

_This time, this place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?_

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Nineteen**

**Previously ...**

_"I should probably ask this before I jump to conclusions..."_

_Rukia didn't speak; instead, she stared._

_"Rukia-sama ... is there any possibility that you could be pregnant?"_

**— June 29th — Kuchiki Mansion - 11:23 AM —**

She was too shocked to speak for a minute—her violet eyes wide in surprise and her soft lips set in an 'O'. She hadn't even thought of that possibility. But that was just it—it _was _a possibility. It had been over three weeks, and she had missed her cycle; not just a possibility—it was a probability.

"I ... I suppose so," she mumbled quietly, pressing the fabric of the quilt between her fingers as Unohana smiled softly.

"All right. Rukia-sama, I'm going to give you some medication that will help you sleep. Then, I'm going to go talk to Kuchiki-sama—"

"Please, don't tell him!" Rukia yelled, her eyes going even wider. Unohana shook her head and placed a comforting hand on Rukia's shoulder.

"Don't worry; I won't breathe a word about this ... yet."

Rukia nodded and relaxed, and Unohana continued.

"I'm going to take you back to the forth division with me and run a few tests. When you wake up, you'll be somewhere you don't recognize; please don't let that trouble you. Now, here, drink this."

While she had been talking, she had been mixing a light blue liquid into a cup; she now handed it to Rukia, and the raven-haired girl took it with shaking hands. Unohana nodded in encouragement.

"It won't hurt you, Rukia-sama. Just drink. You'll feel better."

Rukia nodded, and then swallowed it in one gulp. Unohana smiled and took the cup back before standing to her feet.

"Now sleep. I will go talk to Kuchiki-sama ... "

But Rukia didn't hear anything after that; her world slowly faded away, and she finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**— Twenty-fifth District — Rukongai - 11:45 AM —**

"Noble weddings generally take place in the Summer or Autumn, as there are too many guests to fit inside a building and not many people want to stand outside in the snow or rain," Hoshi said, a smile on his lips at the imagined a hundred nobles standing in the pouring rain, looking like a pack of half drowned cats.

"So it could be any day now?"

Ichigo was gripping both sides of his chair, like he was trying to hold himself in place; it was taking everything he had not to blow a hole in the wall and run out.

Hoshi spoke again.

"I would imagine it would be in Autumn rather than the Summer, because Rukia is so new to the family. They will ... want to give her time to ... fit in, I suppose. Also, if the wedding were any day now, we would be hearing much, much more about it. So far, we have only heard a few whispered conversations. It would be a _very big _deal, Ichigo."

Hoshi-sama's words seemed to calm the orange-haired boy a little bit, but not much.

"So ... how do I crash the wedding?"

Hoshi let out another roar of laughter; Ichigo just frowned.

"Crash the wedding? Only one way. You fight Rukia's fiancé. Before the ceremony, there will be an offer—anyone who can defeat the fiancé can take the bride for his own."

"Yeah, I was planning on that," Ichigo said, his frown turning into a small smile. "That guy apparently needs a good ass kicking for taking my girl."

Hoshi only smiled.

"But I'm afraid that her ... fiancé," he said the word carefully, hoping not to upset the easily upset boy in front of him, "Will probably be far too strong for you to fight."

"Then I'll get stronger."

Hoshi sighed, then bit his lip.

"I do know ... " but he cut himself off and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he frowned in concentration. Ichigo just stared, his eyes unblinking and his determination not wavering. "I do know someone who could help you."

Surprise was clear on the orange-haired teen's face.

"Really?"

Hoshi nodded as he leaned forward and clasped his hands together; he was still deep in thought, his eyebrows pulled together tightly.

"I don't know how long it will be until the wedding. I don't know how much time you'll need. But I doubt we have that long ... " He was deep in thought again. "I'll bring you to him tomorrow, if you want. I don't even know if he will be willing to take you on as a trainee. Also, we'll need to ask around to see if we can find when the wedding will take place ... "

But Ichigo wasn't paying attention anymore. He was already playing it over in his mind; crash the wedding, fight Rukia's stupid—he cringed at the word—_fiance_, and take her away with him, forever.

It sounded like a good plan to him.

**— 8:20 PM —**

"How is she?"

The voice was emotionless and firm; there was no hint of concern—or worry—in his words. His face, too, was blank.

"She's fine for now, Kuchiki-sama. I believe she will recover with no lasting problems."

"What is wrong with her?"

Unohana sighed and bit her lip. She could either tell the truth, or utter such a simple lie. Already, she cared too much for Rukia-sama to get her into trouble knowingly, so instead, she let that small—yet lifechanging—lie slip past her soft, pale pink lips.

"It was just a cold—a bad one, but simply a cold."

He didn't see through her lie, and instead, simply walked off. Unohana sighed in relief and walked back over to where Rukia was laying; in sleep, her face was calm and serene, all the sorry and sadness gone.

Then, her bright, violet eyes fluttered open. The worry and pain was back on her beautiful features.

"Unohana-san?" Rukia whispered, her voice low and quiet. The young doctor ran over, a smile on her face, from where she had been checking on another patient.

"How do you feel, Rukia-sama?" she asked kindly, her gently hands pressing to Rukia's wrist to check her pulse.

"Mmm ... " Rukia seemed to think it over for a minute, wincing as she moved a little. "I still hurt, but I do feel better."

Her voice was stronger, too, and she felt less tired than she had before. She sat up and Unohana bit her lip, trying to decide whether or not to tell the young girl the real news. As she watched Rukia look around curiously, Unohana finally decided.

"Rukia-sama, there's something I need to tell you."

**— 8:20 PM —**

Renji was laying flat out on the bed, his chin in his hands as he stared at Ichigo, who was sprawled across the floor, his hands under his head and a happy look on his face.

"So, this Urahara dude is gonna help you get stronger?"

Ichigo grinned.

"Yeah. Hoshi-sama said that he could train me—if he's willing to take me on as a trainee, that is. I don't know why he wouldn't ... it's not like I want to get stronger just for the sake of getting stronger. If he's a decent guy, he'll help me save Rukia."

Ichigo paused and shrugged as he kicked his blanket off—it had been getting hotter and hotter each night.

"I dunno ... I just have a good feeling about this."

Renji sighed and rolled over until he was staring at the ceiling.

"I hope so. It would really suck if Rukia had to marry that stupid noble, ya know."

"That's putting lightly."

"What is?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned on his side to stare at Renji in the darkness.

" 'Really suck'? Think about this: Misa has to leave because some stupid, completely random guy—and you don't even _know him_—claims that he made a promise to the sister she don't even remember. Sadly, she has to go because if she doesn't, it could cause problems. He's a _noble_, after all."

Ichigo rolled his eyes before he continued venting.

"Then, when you're discussing crashing her "wedding" to some other stuck up noble—a wedding, which, by the way, was decided _for her_—your friend comments that, if she ended up actually marrying the idiot, it would _really suck_."

Renji blinked.

"Sorry, man," he said, his voice low and quiet. "I didn't mean it like that."

Ichigo sighed and bit his lips against the rush of emotions that hit him. He shook his head; his voice was so quiet, Renji barely heard him.

"Doesn't matter. I will get her back ... I won't let her marry that guy, not if she doesn't want to."

"And if she _did _want to marry someone else?" Renji asked, curiosity creeping into his voice. When Ichigo gave him an _are-you-as-stupid-as-you-sound-right-now?_ look, he quickly added, "Not that she would. No, I'd never believe that. But ... the way you said it, I almost thought that if she _did_ love this guy, you would let her go through with it."

" 'Cause I would. I won't do anything that could hurt her."

Renji just blinked a few times.

"You really, _really_ love her a lot, huh?"

Ichigo just smiled.

"Yeah, I do."

**— 8:32 PM —**

"Rukia-sama, there's something I need to tell you."

The violet-eyed girl couldn't bring herself to speak through the curiosity, and the worry, that encased her, so she just stared on, her gaze meeting that of the forth division captain's. The older woman sighed and finally spoke, her words quick and quiet.

"Rukia-sama ... " Unohana paused a blew out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Rukia-sama, I didn't tell Kuchiki-sama anything, because there wasn't a point. But ... you miscarried. Or, at least, that's what I thought."

"I was p-pregnant?"

Rukia's voice broke with the last word, and her hands shook.

"No, no," Unohana said quickly. "Your body ... for lack of a better way to put it, _thought_ it was pregnant, when in reality, the pregnancy never went anywhere. Before a child can begin to grow int he womb, the cell has to divide many, many times; it never made it past a few divisions. So, in reality, you were never pregnant. Your body tricked itself into thinking it was, and thus it had to go through the steps to get rid of the cell mass that replaced the fetus."

Rukia just stared, wide-eyed, at the woman before her.

"I ... so I was pregnant ... but I never really _was_?" It was a lot to take in. It was confusing, yet oddly painful at the same time, having been so close to something so ... scary, yet wonderful.

Unohana shook her head; Rukia couldn't tell if the look on her face was relief or pain.

"No, you weren't. I'm sorry you had to go through so much pain."

Rukia shook her head.

"No, I'm all right. T-thank you, Unohana-san, for t-telling me."

Her voice was soft again, as she stuttered the words. She knew she shouldn't cry; she hadn't lost anything, because there had been nothing to lose in the first place. But the very idea that she had almost created a new life—a baby—with Ichigo sent shivers of excitement, and pain, through her body.

She started crying as her thoughts overhwhelmed her.

She wanted to be with him _so badly _that it hurt. It really, really hurt. She wanted more than anything to not marry Narita-sama ... she wanted to be with Ichigo forever, to have him hold her at night, to have him love her, to have his children ...

... and she wanted it _bad_.

"I-I don't w-want to marry N-Narita-s-s-sama!" she cried, her tears falling over as she collapsed into Unohana's arms. The older woman didn't know quite what to do, so she held the crying girl tightly, her voice low and soft as she tried to soothe the tortured soul that had been forced into such a horrible situation.

"I w-want Ichigo ... I want I-Ichigo ... "

And, as Rukia cried, neither she or Unohana noticed the young girl slipping out of the fourth division, her feet carrying her toward the sixth divisions headquarters.

**— 9:10 PM —**

"I talked to Urahara-san today, Ichigo. He's willing to take you on."

Said orange-haired teen rubbed his eyes and whirled around in surprise to see Hoshi; he was sitting on a small, beat up chair, a smile on his lips. There was a child sleeping on his lap and two playing by his feet.

"Thank you very much, Hoshi-sama," Ichigo replied, bowing quickly and clumsily; he'd almost never bowed before in his life. But the situation—the news—was more than amazing.

The older man only smiled.

"I'm only trying to help. I know you love Rukia-san a lot more than I can understand, and I know you'll try and save her, no matter what I say ... so I'm going to do everything within in my power to help you."

He was smiling as he spoke, and Ichigo couldn't stop the one that streched over his own lips.

"It really means a lot to me, Hoshi-sama," he said, his grin going to dangerous proportions. "Thank you so much. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you for your kindness."

"Get through your training alive," Hoshi said, his smile turning into a worried frown. "And I'll consider all debts re-payed. Urahara-san is hard on those he trains. He doesn't take anything lightly."

Ichigo gulped. Hoshi sounded dead serious.

Ah, to hell with it.

So what if he _did _die? He claimed he loved Rukia more than his own life, right?

He would rather die than back out now.

**— 10:00 PM - Sixth Division Headquarters —**

"Is that all you heard?"

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama."

The young girl had folded her small body into a formal bow; she didn't meet Kuchiki-sama's eyes, and didn't speak before she was spoken to. She was afraid, but felt it was her duty to reveal the information she had been given.

"Thank you, you may leave now."

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama," she squeaked, bowing once more before shuffling out of the door to leave the older man alone with his thoughts.

And, for once, his thoughts were not calm.

His sister—_Kuchiki Rukia_—had gotten far too involved with that stupid, rash, orange-haired idiot, and had almost gotten herself pregnant.

Kuchiki Byakuya sighed and stood to his feet.

He needed to talk to her.

* * *

Well, it's kinda sorta a mini cliffie. Sorry 'bout that! On the bright side, I updates quicker than I usually do! Yaaaay me! Oh, and I know the situation with Rukia seems pointless and stupid right now, but it will be **very** important later.

Thanks to **Queen of Juiceboxes **for some amazing ideas which I will be using soooon!!

_**IMPORTANT NOTE: Please Read!**_

My sister joined on FF ... _finally_! She started her first multi-chapter story a few weeks ago ... her writing is simply amazing. O.O Sadly, she doesn't write for Bleach. She writes for **Twilight**. So, if anyone here has read the **Twilight** series by **Stephenie Meyer**, please drop my my sister's port! She's on my fav authors. Her penname is_ **l'heure bleue**_.

_**Please Review!**( And drop by Caitlyn's port! )_


	20. Almost There

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

—** NOTE: —**

Normal writing — Current time  
_Italics with a noted time — _Flashbacks_  
Normal Italics — Thinking, or inner speaking_

* * *

_This time, this place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?_

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Twenty**

**Previously ... **

_His sister—Kuchiki Rukia—had gotten far too involved with that stupid, rash, orange-haired idiot, and had almost gotten herself pregnant._

_Kuchiki Byakuya sighed and stood to his feet._

_He needed to talk to her._

**— June 30th, 8:30 AM - Forth Division Headquarters **—

Rukia sighed and curled deeper into the warm blanket surrounding her. Her body, warm and comfortable, was, unlike her mind, calm. Her thoughts, though, were running a million miles an hour, trying to make sense of everything ... the love, the hate, the fear, the tears ...

She sighed again. She'd told Kimi-chan that she couldn't run away from Narita-sama — run back to Ichigo — because it wouldn't change anything.

She'd been wrong.

It would change _everything_. It would heal the gaping, raw wound in her heart. It would heal the pain, the tears. It would stop the feeling of dread, of hate, whenever she saw — whenever she even thought of — Narita-sama ...

... the man she was supposed to marry.

Rukia choked back a sob and buried her head in the blanket once more.

She'd been pregnant ... she'd almost had Ichigo's baby. She'd made a child with the one man she loved with her whole heart, with everything she was.

The idea sounded so ... beautiful, perfect.

And she wanted it _bad. _She wanted to be with Ichigo, to be in his arms. She wanted to love him, and be loved my him ... and, one day, have a family with him.

And as she forced the tears back and closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall asleep once more, she made a decision.

She wouldn't marry Narita-sama ... no matter what. She would wait for Ichigo ... she would wait for him to come to her, like he'd promised. She'd wait no matter how long it took, she'd even wait until the end of time.

Because ... she loved him.

**10:12 AM**

When he saw her, she was laying on her side, breathing deeply and trying to hold back tears. He could tell she'd done a lot of crying; her eyes were red. He didn't understand why.

He walked over slowly.

"Rukia ... "

"Go away."

Well, that was the first time someone — even his adopted sister — had told him off in such a rude, rash manner. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. He knew getting mad, or getting _her _more mad than she already was, wouldn't be a good thing, considering that he needed to have a talk — a serious talk — with her.

"Rukia, we need to discuss some things."

His voice was so firm, so commanding, that she couldn't _not _look up. When she met his eyes, they were not full of concern, as a brother's eyes should be. Instead, they were heard and cold.

"Talk about what, Kuchiki-sama?" she mumbled.

"Why you and Unohana-san lied to me."

Rukia winced noticeably, but had no other visible reaction besides that. She tried to bite back the panic rising, and to make her voice as calm as possible. It wasn't too hard, considering the fact that she was still numb from the news she'd just received.

"I don't understand, Kuchiki-sama," Rukia finally mumbled, letting her eyes drop from his.

"You were pregnant."

The words were harsh, uncaring. Rukia tried to hold back the tears that had stopped until only minutes before.

"Not technically, Kuchiki-sama."

"Rukia!"

Rukia winced when her name was yelled. The tears were becoming harder and harder to hold in. First, when she'd been pregnant, Unohana-san had tried to convince her that there had been no child in the first place, that she'd miscarried too early ... but she didn't believe that. Their _had _been a baby ... her and Ichigo's baby. And now ... now, her brother seemed almost ... _relieved _that the baby was dead.

It was almost too much to take.

"Fine!" she finally yelled, a single tear slipping down her pale cheek. "Fine! I was pregnant ... so what? The baby's gone ... there _is_ no baby anymore. What does it matter, then?"

Byakuya didn't even seem fazed by her temper, or her tears. Instead, he simple stood by her bedside, and his words were calm, unemotional.

"We cannot let this get out, Rukia. As of this moment, Unohana-san, Kiyru-san, you and I are the only ones who know. You tell _no one_. Do you understand, Rukia?"

She nodded briefly, but still didn't look up.

"No one else can know. You ... are marrying Narita-sama in a little under two months. You will not tell Narita-sama of this. When the marriage was arranged, you were understood to be a virgin. I'm am ... shamed to realize that is not true."

It looked as if there was finally some emotion in his words; he was trying to hold the anger, the disbelief, in, and he was barely succeeding.

"I won't tell anyone," Rukia muttered, "Because I'm not marrying him."

"What?"

His voice was carefully unsurprised, yet still firm.

"I won't have to marry him ... because Ichigo ... because Ichigo will come for me."

She'd tried so hard not to hope for it before, not to _want _it. But now ... now, she knew that she wanted Ichigo more than _anything ..._ and she wanted a _life_ with him. She didn't want to be forced to marry someone she didn't love, to have the children of someone she didn't love, and to spend her days, every waking minute in the presence of someone she hated more than life itself — someone she didn't even know, but hated simply because he was trying to force this upon her.

She didn't want to be with Narita-sama. She wanted ... she _needed _Ichigo.

Byakuya finally responded to her whispered, quiet words.

"What?"

He spit the word from his mouth like poison, and his eyes were angry; he finally let the rage leak out. Rukia winced, but immediately grasped onto her resolve tightly. Her words shook the tiniest bit, but she knew they were true. She knew ...

"I will not marry Narita-sama. I do not love him. I ... want only to be with Ichigo."

Byakuya's normally calm eyes were livid; his gaze was enough to make everyone around him shrink away in fear, but Rukia stood — sat, actually — firm, her resolve never wavering.

"You _will _marry Narita-sama! You will not step on this family's pride, Rukia!" Byakuya shouted, his calm shattered. Rukia winced and leaned away from him, but didn't respond .. or, at least, not in the way he was expecting, the way he wanted her to respond.

"I didn't want to be a part of this family in the first place!"

Her words shocked him for a brief second before he turned on his heal and stormed out, his hair swaying the smallest bit in the wind. Rukia watched after him, her heart racing. But ... she had stood up to him, said what she'd wanted to say.

Now, she could only hope.

**— June 30th, 5:10 PM - Rukongai, Twenty-fifth District **—

Ichigo paced anxiously, his fingers twisting together nervously and his eyes cast down. Renji watched warily, his bright eyes following the pacing menace back and forth across the room.

Finally, he couldn't take any more. It was making him dizzy.

"Calm down, Ichigo!" the red-headed teenager shouted, growling in annoyance.

"Sorry," Ichigo mumbled, dropping down on the bed and running a hand through his messy hair. He heaved a huge sigh, then turned his head to meet Renji's eyes. He grinned happily. "Today, I meet Urahara-san for the first time ... and I'm considerably freaked out."

"Has Hoshi-sama been telling you horror stories about him?" Renji asked, his eyebrow raised in amusement. Ichigo rolled his eyes, then sighed again.

"Nope. But he _did _say that Urahara-san was hard on those he trained."

"Ha! _Hard_ is barely scratching the surface!" Renji said, laughing, trying to hide the concern behind his smile. "If you don't pass ... well, let's just say the only reason you could possibly fail is if you were dead."

Ichigo gulped. Renji continued.

"Have any idea what he's gonna be teaching you?"

"Nope. I hope he'll specifically teach me to wipe the floor with snotty, stuck-up nobles."

Renji laughed, and fell onto the bed beside his best friend. They lay there, not speaking, for a very long time. The sun was setting outside the window when Hoshi poked his head in and gave the boys a grim smile.

"Time to go, Ichigo."

He nodded and stood to his feet, his body shaking but his resolve firm as Renji offered him a reassuring smile.

He'd told Rukia he would come for her, no matter what. So what if he came a year early? He didn't think she'd mind too much if he showed up ahead of schedule ...

... that is ... if he made it through the night.

**— June 30th, 7:20 PM - Kuchiki Mansion **—

Rukia sighed as she slipped her tired, aching body beneath the warm quilts. It was nice to be back to a place she recognized, a place, though not home, that was comfortable.

"Rukia-san?"

The soft, childish voice made Rukia smile, despite her worry and pain. The familiar voice made her heart beat faster in happiness, and the bright childish eyes only made her smile widen.

"Kimi-chan," she whispered softly, laughing as the little girl ran from her hiding spot behind the door and into Rukia's arms. They just sat there for a few minutes, but soon enough, Kimi's curiosity got the better of her.

"What did Unohana-sama say? Why were you sick, Rukia-san?" she questioned, her bright eyes wide. Rukia winced and bit her lip; could she really tell Kimi — so small and innocent — everything that had happened? The pregnancy ... the fight with her brother ...

No, she finally decided, she couldn't.

Instead, she forced a small smile as she ran her thin, pale fingers through Kimi's hair.

"Nothing much. Just a cold."

"Oh! Well, that's good."

Then, Kimi launched into a second-by-second account of her day, which involved her best friend, cookie dough, and flour fights. And, of course, all the other things little girls did when they had free time. She'd picked flowers, ran barefoot through the meadow, and sang really off-key to her favorite song.

By the time she was finished talking, Rukia was smiling again. She decided to share _her_ good news.

"Kimi-chan, guess what?"

"Mmm ... what?"

Rukia smiled softly and laid her head back on her pillows. Kimi was watching her with excited, curious eyes.

"I'm going to wait for Ichigo."

It wasn't something she'd expected Kimi to understand; she was sure she'd have to explain, but the little girl understood immediately, and her already-wide eyes grew wider.

"Really? Oh, _really_? Yaay Rukia-san! That's great!"

Rukia couldn't help but laugh at the little girl's obvious elation. She couldn't help but laugh when Kimi — completely unaware of the trials and tribulations to come — said happily that she wanted to be the flower girl at the wedding. And she couldn't stop the tears that came when Kimi asked that, if Rukia-san and Ichigo-kun ever had a baby, could she be a big sister?

The questions assulted her silently, but each one brought on a new wave of pain.

Would her baby have been a boy or a girl? Would ... would Ichigo have known? Would he have come back for her, sooner, if he _had_ found out somehow? Would he have wanted the baby as much as she had ... as much as she still did?

Would he be as heartbroken after learning that she had lost the baby, only days after it had begun it's life?

Finally ... _finally_, Kimi's frantic, child-like worries broke through her thoughts, through her tears.

"Rukia-san! Rukia-san! Are you all right? Do ... do you have a boo-boo? Is that why you're crying? Are you all right, Rukia-san?"

Rukia nodded, shakily wiping her tears away.

"I'm not fine n-now, Kimi-chan ... b-but I will b-be ... "

And somehow, the words whispered only to reassure the little girl ... were true.

**— June 30th, 8:13 PM - Rukongai, Twenty-fifth District **—

Ichigo groaned.

Not only had it taken half of forever to get where they were going, but on top of that, it was cold — despite the fact that it was summer — and the ground was muddy from the recent rain. And he was barefoot.

Stupid Ichigo, huh?

He sighed again and Hoshi cast him an amused look from where he was walking a good ten paces ahead.

"If you can't take a little mud and cold, we should head back now, Ichigo."

"No, no," Ichigo quickly protested, shaking his head and taking a deep breath in. "I'm just impatient," he admitted. Hoshi roared with laughter, then ducked as he walked inside a small, average, every-day convenience store.

Ichigo blinked a few times before following.

Had they just walked halfway across the universe for _this_?

"Where are we?" he finally asked, and Hoshi only shrugged; there was a large smile floating across his lips, so Ichigo knew that they were probably at — or near — their destination.

He couldn't stop his heart beating faster at the thought, and he couldn't help but smile, either. So what if he might die? To hell with that! He was gonna train, and then he was gonna go kick the ass of that stupid, stuck-up noble who _dared _to try and marry Rukia.

That thought made his smile widen even more. Hoshi glanced back at him again as he walked out the back door of the convenience store and motioned for Ichigo to do the same.

"What has you so happy?"

Ichigo shrugged, trying to look casual. If he started ranting again about how he was going to kick some major noble ass as soon as he was done training, Hoshi would start the lectures again. So, instead, he replied quietly, "Nothing much. Just excited."

"Ah."

They walked in silence for a short while more. Over the fence behind the convenience store, through another yard, over a bunch of rocks ... it all kind of blurred together after a while.

But then ... then, they stopped in front of a small, rotting shack — it couldn't be described as anything else. It was a _shack_. It probably didn't even have two rooms in it, and it looked like it could collapse at even the smallest gust of wind.

Ichigo stopped outside of it, gaping, and Hoshi, who was almost inside at that point, sighed and turned around.

"Come _on, _Ichigo."

"Yeah, yeah. I just don't see how anyone can live here, much less train anyone in this ... house. It's kind of ... " He shrugged and trailed off, and Hoshi laughed again, as if Ichigo was missing something very important. And he probably was.

"Hurry, Ichigo," Hoshi said, throwing cautious glances over his shoulder now as he wrapped his worn, beaten hands around a rope in the same condition. He pulled up, and it was in that second that Ichigo realized it was a trapdoor.

A trapdoor that led down to the largest, most ... _amazing_ room he'd ever seen. He scrambled down the long, never-ending ladder, and as soon as his feet his the ground, he vocalized his excitement.

"Holy crap! This is ... _amazing_!"

His voice echoed throughout the room, and Hoshi only smiled as he dropped onto the hard ground beside the orange-haired boy.

Together, they let their eyes flow over the room. Over the trees — how does one plant trees underground? And why does one let them die? — and over the vast, expanding landscape. There was no grass, only sand and dirt. The rocks could easily be classified as mountains, and there was even a river — _a river! _— running across the vast desert.

Then, a calm, serene voice broke the silence.

"Glad you like it, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo whirled around in surprise to see a young man — who couldn't have been older than twenty-five or so — with light blond, shaggy hair and piercing eyes. There was a soft smile on his lips, and though he was clothed in traditional Shinigami robes, he held no Zanpaktou; he simply had a cane with a most interesting crest on the end.

His smile widened.

"Hello, I'm Urahara Kisuke. I'll be training you, Kurosaki-san."

Though Ichigo's heart was pounding in his chest harder than he ever thought possible, a smile was once again spreading over his lips.

This ... _this was it_! This was what he'd been waiting for!

* * *

Wow. So, I don't update in forever, then I give you a boring chapter. I suck, huh? _(Sighs)_. Well, that's school for ya. And life. And siblings, and husbands, and jobs, and stupid, broken computers ...

**NOTE: **Well, I noted that my reviews were cut in half from chapter eighteen to chapter nineteen. Is my story REALLY that boring? Sheeesh. Just tell me if it is, I'll try and make it more exciting. Well ... **Next Chapter: **The training begins! More Byakuya/Rukia interaction!

**NOTE 2: **The reason it's taking so long to update is because I'm working on an **Original Novel**! Yaaay me!

_**Please Review! **( I promise to try and update sooner if you do!! And **Oh!** New poll in my profile. Please vote! )_


	21. Drawing Closer

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, the characters, or the song Far Away by Nickelback.

—** NOTE: —**

Normal writing — Current time  
_Italics with a noted time — _Flashbacks_  
"Normal Italics" — Thinking, or inner speaking_

* * *

_This time, this place,  
Misused, Mistakes.  
Too long, too late,  
Who was I to make you wait?_

* * *

**Far Away — Chapter Twenty-One**

**Previously ... **

_"Hello, I'm Urahara Kisuke. I'll be training you, Kurosaki-san."_

_Though Ichigo's heart was pounding in his chest harder than he ever thought possible, a smile was once again spreading over his lips._

_This ..._ this was it_! This was what he'd been waiting for!_

**— July 1st, 6:00 AM - Underground Training **—

"I _am_ tyring, damn it! And maybe if _someone _would let me sleep ... _I could try harder_!"

Ichigo's voice — annoyed and tired — rang throughout the large, underground room. Urahara simply smiled and glanced at the irritated boy from under his hat. He swung the cane around in his hands as he swiftly jumped from the top of a rock — that could surely be classified as a mountain — and landed noiselessly on the dirt beside a panting, gasping Ichigo.

"Sleep is for the weak. We don't have much time, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo growled, his eyes dangerous as he moved to stare into his Sensei's eyes.

"We have ... months," he gasped. "You ... said that the wedding won't be ... until ... September."

He tried and failed to regain his breath. In fact, he'd lost it so many hours ago, he had given up the fruitless effort to get it back.

"I did say that," Urahara agreed, poking Ichigo in the back with his cane. "But it will take you at least two weeks on foot to get to Seireitei, and at least two or three weeks after this to heal. That leaves you maybe fourteen days, Ichigo."

His voice was firm now. He continued.

"I will teach you how to use your Shikai adequately and easily. That, at your current rate, will probably take four or five days. Then ... then ... "

He trailed off, and smiled. Ichigo looked tense — curious and excited — as he waited for Urahara to continue once more.

"Then ... I teach you _Ban-Kai_."

**— July 1st, 6:40 AM - Kuchiki Mansion **—

Rukia sipped her tea slowly, focusing on it more than ever as she tried desperately not to make eye contact with the man sitting across from her. Her fingers were shaking on her cup, but she tried to blame it on left-over shakiness from Unohana-san's news.

But she knew it was because she was afraid.

"Rukia ... "

She winced. He'd finally spoken. All throughout morning tea, he hadn't said a word. She hadn't seen him even so much as twitch; now, though, he was focusing his gaze on her, his eyes piercing. She winced and looked up; how could she _not_?

"Yes, Byakuya Nii-sama?"

"This is foolishness. You will marry Narita-sama."

She stiffened. He hadn't said a word about that since last night, when he'd talked to her in the Forth Division's headquarters.

"No, I won't," she finally said, softly, slowly. A smile spread across her lips as she became more daring. "And short of throwing me over your shoulder and carrying me there, I'm not even _going _to the wedding."

Byakuya's lips were set in such a tight line they were barely visible. Rukia could almost feel the waves of frustration, of hidden anger, rolling off of him.

"You are tarnishing this family's pride."

"I don't care."

The words came out more harsh than she'd intended. She hadn't even meant to say them; they'd just sort of slipped out. But now that they _were _out, she didn't even wish she could take them back.

"Rukia ... "

"No! Don't ... don't speak to me like that," Rukia finally said, standing up, her cup clattering noisily to the ground as she backed up a few steps. "Did you ever think about _my_ pride? Or _my happiness_? Did you?"

She knew she shouldn't be standing up to him like this. She should sit down now, and ask for his forgiveness.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Did you think for one second that maybe I don't love Narita-sama? You married my sister because you_ loved her_, and she loved you, too! You married her, even though it was against the laws, because you couldn't stand to be apart! And look what you're doing to me! You're _forcing_ me to marry someone I don't love ... someone I don't even _know_. You're tearing me away from Ichigo, and you've ruined my life."

Holding back tears, Rukia blinked quickly a few times and then ran out of the room, her words swimming around in her head. The words she'd screamed, yelled, at Kuchiki Byakuya, the noble. The words, so harsh, that she'd shouted in his face.

The words ... that were true.

Finally letting the tears fall, Rukia shoved open the doors to the mansion and ran as fast as she could.

She knew she couldn't escape from _here_, from Seireitei, from the family she'd been forced into. But she could, for a few precious seconds ...

... escape from reality.

**7:10 AM**

"Stand up! Stand to your feet! _Now!_"

"I can't!"

"You _can_! Now stand!"

Ichigo coughed and fisted his hands against the dirt. He knew he had the power. He could feel it inside of him. He could feel it coursing through his veins ... like he had only once before. He knew he could call it out ... he just didn't know how.

"Help me," he silently begged. "Help me ... Zangetsu!"

_"I cannot help you. You must help yourself. Call out the power within yourself, and release it."_

"I don't know how."

_"We've been over this before. You_ do_. The amount of power in a single attack will be doubled — or even tripled — if you know the name of your power. Now, call it out!"_

"I don't —"

_"You do! Now call it out, and win!"_

He knew Zangetsu was right. He knew he had the power. He knew he could use it. He just didn't know how. So, instead of trying, he closed his eyes and let his instincts take over. He let the power inside of himself explode outward as he screamed the words he'd always known ... the words that, at the same time, he'd never even heard.

"_Getsuga Tenshō_!"

**7:45 AM**

Rukia tensed noticeably, and she gripped the flower in her hand so hard that the stem snapped. Byakuya walked closer.

"You were right."

The surprise of hearing his words was so much more powerful than the fact that he was outside, searching for her in the middle of the morning. Without turning around, Rukia stiffened and spoke softly.

"What do you mean?"

Her words were cautious. She didn't want to allow hope to take over her.

"I mean you were right. I never thought about your happiness."

"Then ... "

Without sparing her a second glance, Byakuya turned and walked back inside. His words echoed through the small garden, and Rukia felt the tears returning with a vengeance.

"It changes nothing."

She broke down and cried.

**9:00 AM**

"You killed my hat."

Ichigo just grinned at Urahara, who was holding up his hat ... er ... _half _of his hat. The other half was on the ground beside him, next to the broken remnants of Urahara's blood shield.

They'd been fighting — which, loosely translated, meant that Ichigo had been hitting instead of _being _hit — for over an hour now, and Ichigo had nearly mastered the Getsuga Tenshō. He was able to fire it at will, for the most part, but firing it when under intense pressure was when he managed the most power.

"Sorry 'bout that," Ichigo murmured, his grin never wavering. Urahara shook his head in amusmenet.

"Sure you are."

He paused and stuffed the remainder of his hat on his head. His shaggy, blond hair stuck out, and he smirked, a smile coming to his lips.

"Again?"

"Hell yeah."

**— July 13th - Underground Training **—

_– Deadline to Wedding: 18 Days_

The days passed by in a blur. There was no time to talk, laze around, or even spare a thought for anything that wasn't absolutely necessary. There was barely time to sleep, and even less time to eat. But eventually, Ichigo's hard work paid off — Urahara dubbed him competent enough to stop their current training ... and move on to Bankai training.

Ichigo was insane with excitement. Urahara was deep in thought, sitting on top of one of the outrageously huge rocks that had remained unshattered. His hat — sewn sloppily together by lose, white threads — sat upon his head as he contemplated.

His words rarely made sense.

"Well, I could ... but no, it's not safe ... or I could ... "

Ichigo rolled his eyes so hard it hurt.

"_What_ are you _talking _about?" he asked, shoving away from the rock he was leaning against. He quickly took up pacing as Urahara slowly, lazily, shifted his gaze.

"I'm thinking of a way to go about this without killing you."

Ichigo swallowed, and didn't say another word. Urahara decided, however, to share his thoughts.

"There are several ways. I could teach you in as little as three days, but it is extremely dangerous, and is not to be undertaken lightly. I don't think you'd last three hours. Another way — though less dangerous — would take more than a month —"

"We don't _have_ that long!"

Only two days previous had Urahara managed to get a concrete date on the wedding. It was going to be held on August second. Among the information he'd received, Urahara had revealed that it had been moved up almost a month and a half for ... various and unspecified reasons.

"I know we don't. We have twenty-four days, Ichigo, and you're going to need at least seven of those days to recover. I cannot send you into battle in the shape you're going to be in after this training."

"Who says I'll be in bad shape?" Ichigo questioned, frowning. How could anything be worse than what he'd endured over the past few weeks? He'd been in his own personal hell for over thirteen days.

"You will."

He said it with such assurance that Ichigo just said "oh" and left it at that.

He resumsed pacing; Urahara continued thinking and talking.

"Usually, it can take up to ten years to achieve Bankai."

Ichigo's eyes grew so wide that they were in danger of falling out.

"_What_!?"

Urahara couldn't help ut chuckle at his pupil's expression.

"Relax, Kurosaki-san. We will have you ready in time ... even if we have to use _that_ method."

Ichigo didn't question him further. His curiosity was raging — he wanted nothing more than to know what _'that' _was, but he knew he wouldn't get a straight answer from his teacher. So, instead, he continued his pacing, though his curiosity was growing with each passing second.

Finally, he couldn't stand it.

"Are there _really _that many ways to train one person?"

Urahara laughed.

"No. And I've decided how we're going to go about it."

Ichigo's head snapped up, and he immediately focused his eyes on Urahara. The older man smiled, and then, in a quick flash, Urahara pulled the sheath off of the cane beside him. Ichigo's eyes grew wide once more as he realized what it was.

It was a sword ... a Zanpaktou.

"You are going to fight."

"What the hell do you think I've been doing for the past two weeks?" Ichigo roared, more surprised and angry, or outraged. Urahara laughed.

"You know the name of your Zanpaktou. That's a start. Now, you only need to call out your final release. To do that, you need to materialize your Zanpaktou's form. Have you _seen _Zangetsu?"

"Um ... no ... " Ichigo replied, shrugging. "He has a ... form?"

"Of _course _he does," Urahara said, sighing dramatically. He smiled, though, and said, "If you can't call him out soon, I have ... a way that can help."

Ichigo smirked.

"Then let's get on with it!"

—**July 20th **—

_– Deadline to Wedding: 10 Days_

Ichigo sighed and wiped blood from his mouth as he jumped out of the way of his Zapaktou's soul — Zangetsu. He'd materialized Zangetsu once, but couldn't do it on demand, so Urahara had helped him out a little. Since then, it had been non-stop fighting.

"_Aaaarrrrrgggghhh_!"

With a scream that could split ears, Ichigo lunged forward, only to be struck down by Zangetsu.

"Stand, boy. We don't have the time for games. Hit me!"

"I'm _trying_!"

He ran forward again, and again, he was struck down. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he staggered to his feet and grabbed is Zanpaktou once more. He _would_ win. He had to. He had to do this ...

_... for Rukia_!

— **July 27th **—

_– Deadline to Wedding: 6 Days_

"_Getsuga Tenshō_!"

As the power drained out of him, the energy, the resolve, drained out, too. The blood slowly seeped down his forehead, and across his skin. His breathing came in ragged gasps, and his hands were shaking on his Zanpaktpo.

But the knife-like shape of his Zanpaktou was a thing of the past.

In his hands ... he held Zangetsu as a thin, black sword. The chain falling from the end was rattling softly in the swirling dust, and the beauty of his accomplishment rang through the air.

Urahara offered him a small smile as he sank to the ground, unable to keep his eyes open.

But, as they fluttered closed ... he swore that he could see _her_ standing in front of him.

And it was worth it. The thought of having _her _in his arms again made every single pain, every single drop of blood shed, worth it.

— **August 2nd **—

_– Deadline to Wedding: 0 Days_

* * *

Consider yourselves **MUCH LOVED**. Although my review count didn't go up (Still cut in half) people did explain to me _why _it went down. Because there was no IchiRuki. I know this was shorter, but hey! IchiRuki reunion coming! That makes up for it, right?

**NOTE: **My sister's story here (Twilight Story) is simply **amazing**. If you read Twilight, and haven't looked at it ... Please do! She's on my favs. She's _**l'heure bleue**. _I never knew my sis could write like that ... and she refuses to tell me what's gonna happen. _(Pouts)_

_**Please Review! **( I gave you fast update, you give me review. Understand? )_


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